


Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

by SilverAmoebasquid



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: AU, F/M, Hooker AU, I latched onto Shuichi driving a taxi and picking up hookers and now I have a disaster on my hands, but im very proud of this disaster so whatever, idk man, nice, taxi driver au, warnings for violence and prostitution and stuff, what happens when I play DR and binge blue bloods at the same time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:49:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19716541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAmoebasquid/pseuds/SilverAmoebasquid
Summary: Shuuichi has to move to the big city and take a job as a nighttime taxi driver. That much, he can handle. But when a serial killer starts targeting and killing prostitutes Shuuichi encounters along his route, his detective's instincts kick in. Will he be fast enough to stop the impending doom of those he loves?





	1. Death By Traffic And Pretty Hookers

Before Shuuichi moved to the city for the first time, he didn’t know what to expect. He knew it wouldn’t be anything like the small town where he grew up and likely not nearly as friendly. The job he had lined up wasn't glamorous either but for now, it was just enough to make ends meet. When he had previewed the big city he'd be moving to, Shuuichi had thought it dirty and loud and definitely only a temporary solution to his current housing problem. After his former situation had fallen through, Shuuichi had been graciously invited by Kaito, a friend from high school to stay as long as he needed to until he got back on his feet or found a better opportunity.

The job that would be supporting Shuuichi for the time being was thanks to Kaito as well. Straight out of high school, Kaito had worked for a taxi service that was always in need of drivers who knew how to handle the chaotic city streets and get customers where they needed to be. Shuuichi had been grateful to his friend for putting in a good word for him and getting him immediately hired, but as he drove through the packed city street in his own car, loaded full with his belongings that still didn't equate to much, he wondered if it was really such a good idea or if the recommendation Kaito had given on his behalf was accurate.

It was the middle of the morning and the streets were beyond comfortably crowded. Shuuichi's knuckles were turning white around the steering wheel and he could feel sweat drip down his back. He was clenching his teeth so hard he knew he was going to end up with a headache later, but every time he tried to relax, he wound up stressed again as soon as he looked back at the road.

There were plenty of taxis amidst the traffic, a common sight in such a big city. A few that Shuuichi saw were labeled with the company he would be working for. They were all driving aggressively, or as he would've phrased it, recklessly. Many cars on the busy road sped despite the unsafe conditions and almost none of them changed lanes using blinkers or allowing enough space between vehicles. Shuuichi didn't think he could drive like that, but his usual, more passive style of driving was proving to cause problems as well as he was constantly being honked at.

Kaito's apartment was mercifully just south of the heart of the city and Shuuichi got into the parking structure with little difficulty. As promised, Kaito was waiting by the entrance of the parking structure, meeting Shuuichi at his car and wrapping him in a crushing hug. Though he couldn't breathe, Shuuichi smiled. It had been over three years since the last time he'd seen Kaito, but the other man didn't seem to have changed a bit, still loud and enthusiastic, which Shuuichi appreciated.

Between the two of them, they got about half of Shuuichi's belongings into the apartment in one trip. After the long trip and the stress of driving downtown, Shuuichi didn't feel much like unpacking so he only brought in the necessities, making himself at home in the small room that was to be his from now on.

The condo certainly wasn’t large nor were the rooms in it, but Shuuichi didn’t mind the size or how dark the small space could be, or even the sounds of ever-present traffic that were always audible. For now, he was just happy to be with his friend and even better, off the road.

Over the course of the day, Shuuichi finished unpacking most of his things and in the evening, the two went out for dinner at a small bar downtown, one of the city’s local best-kept-secrets and one of Kaito’s favorites. Kaito talked for most of the time, but asked Shuuichi lots of questions too as they caught up from the time since they’d last seen each other. As the sun went down, the two drove in peaceful quiet with the radio on up and down streets and Shuuichi tried his best to memorize the layout of this unfamiliar city before he would be expected to drive around it for a living.

Post rush-hour, the traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as it had when Shuuichi had arrived and he could almost relax during the ride — though it may have been on account that he didn’t have to navigate himself.

Kaito seemed to have the layout of the whole city in the lines of the palm of his hand, taking shortcuts and scenic routes past impressive skyscrapers. Shuuichi figured with time, he would learn this city just as well as Kaito.

Shuuichi found he had no reservations speaking his mind around one of his oldest and closest friends. “Kaito, do you like it here in the city?”

From the driver’s seat, Kaito beamed as he swerved in and out of traffic to go around a slower driver. “I do! It’s exciting for sure! Something new to experience every day down here! And now with my new job as a paramedic, things are looking up even more. And don’t worry, if I move to a nicer apartment when I start making better money, you’re more than welcome to come along; I won’t just abandon you here on your own!”

An easy smile fell onto Shuuichi’s mouth. “It’s a far cry from the small town we grew up in, huh.”

“For sure! Do you miss it already?”

“A little. If I’m being honest, I don’t know how well I’m going to do as a driver here. I really appreciate you letting me stay with you and landing me a job with your old company, but I don’t know if I have the skills or the confidence to drive around here. I had about ten heart attacks on my way to your apartment this morning.”

Kaito laughed out loud. “Don’t stress out about it! You’ll learn the streets and ways around and the moxie comes with practice. Just throw yourself into the heart of it and you’ll catch on quick.”

Shuuichi took a slow breath. “I’ll do my best, but... I’m not like you, Kaito. I’m not brash and quick on my feet. To get around here, you really need to be an aggressive driver and I’m really not.”

A feat that would’ve been impossible for Shuuichi even in this dwindling traffic, Kaito took one hand off the wheel to pat Shuuichi’s shoulder. “I said don’t stress out about it. I wouldn’t have thrown you into a job I didn’t think you could handle, would I? You might not naturally be aggressive, but you’re smart and you’re a fast thinker. You’ll be fine!”

Shuuichi wished he could adopt some of Kaito’s confidence, but he knew better than to argue anymore. Kaito was stubbornly attached to the idea that Shuuichi would be fine and he wouldn’t easily let go of it. Shuuichi opted to ride in silence for the rest of the trip until they pulled back into the parking structure and he tumbled into bed.

The streetlights outside managed to shine in past the heavy curtains and the noise of honking cars proved to complicate sleeping. Back in the small town Shuuichi and Kaito had grown up in, evenings were spent often with friends at home with good food passed around and a cozy atmosphere bringing everyone together. In the city it seemed like the night came alive outside instead of indoors. Music from a club a short distance away filtered through the traffic sounds and made Shuuichi miss home. He didn’t know if he would be able to adjust to this type of atmosphere, faster paced and constantly moving, with something new every minute of every day. Shuuichi was almost afraid to close his eyes for fear of city life passing him by while he blinked.

Bright and early the next morning, Shuuichi was awakened by bright sunlight through the window as well as the same dread from the night before. Kaito, with his early morning shift as a paramedic, was already gone but in his place was a note on the table reading “I BELIEVE IN YOU” and a messily drawn stick figure making a thumbs-up gesture.

Shuuichi smiled, prepared breakfast and left the apartment, using every ounce of his willpower not to run back inside and hide from this terrifying new job that would most likely result in his death.

Directions to the taxi agency had been written down for him on another sticky note but after one look outside at the cars whizzing past on all sides, Shuuichi elected to walk the five blocks to the agency.

Beside the squat brick building was a parking lot full of yellow cars. Several had small dings and dents and Shuuichi tried not to think about getting into an accident in a company car. The thought of wrecking his own car was scary enough but someone else’s car was a whole new level of stress.

Pulling the glass door open, Shuuichi was greeted by a girl behind a counter with long brown hair pulled into two ponytails. Her tone was formal but slightly disinterested, the way most employees of any company would be.

Shuuichi offered her a smile. “Hi, I’m starting work here today and I was told—”

The girl cut him off quickly. “You’re the one Kaito sent over, aren’t you. Are you as good of a driver as he was?”

“I... doubt it, but I’ll do my best. All my paperwork is already done since Kaito helped get it sent in before I moved.”

“What shifts do you want?”

The girl had a calm enough demeanor but she was moving along entirely too fast for Shuuichi’s stress levels. Slapped on the desk in front of him was a chart with time slots and cars, marked in countless colors that likely represented different drivers. The colors and boxes swam before his eyes and he looked up at the girl instead. “Uhh... I don’t think I ever caught your name?”

“Maki Harukawa,” she stated, tapping the paper again. “Try to pick shifts you won’t have to call out from often. People don’t like picking up shifts and this city is a wreck without enough taxis in service. Not to mention, people start relying on other companies.”

Shuuichi stared at the paper for another few seconds. He wasn’t any less overwhelmed now but he was doing his best to think through his options. His eye caught on a patch of less densely populated markings on the chart. The late night hours seemed like less popular shifts, but it might just be Shuuichi’s saving grace if he wanted to avoid death by rush hour traffic. Shuuichi pointed his finger at the blank spots. “Do you need more drivers at night?”

Maki blinked and raised one eyebrow. “You....  _ want _ to work at night?”

“Sure,” Shuuichi shrugged.

“Okay...” Maki picked up a pencil and tapped the eraser on the desk. “Do you want to start tonight?”

“I can,” Shuuichi said, before he even had time to think it over. He would’ve preferred to practice some more on his own first but Maki was already coloring in a shift for him.

“Okay. Come back here at 9 and we’ll get you in a car. Have a good day.”

Shuuichi waved hesitantly and backed away toward the door. He didn’t breathe until he was safely outside and out of view from the taxi agency. And then he almost broke down. “Keep it together,” he mumbled to himself, leaning against the nearest building. “It’s going to work out fine. You got the technicalities finished so now you just have to... show up for work tonight.”

Confident that he could keep it together now, Shuuichi walked back to the apartment, maybe to sit in his room and unpack, or find something to eat, or text Kaito. Instead Shuuichi barely made it to the couch before collapsing, staring at the wall for a while before closing his eyes again and drifting back to sleep.

Somehow, hours had passed and Shuuichi woke up to Kaito shaking him.

“WHAT TIME IS IT?” Shuuichi panicked, looking for the nearest clock.

“Bro, calm down. How did it go with the agency? Are you working?”

“Yes. At nine. What. Time. Is. It.”

Kaito glanced at his watch. “Seven. Did you seriously sleep all day? Get bored waiting for me or something? You said your shift starts at 9? As in tonight or tomorrow?”

Shuuichi sat back and willed his racing heart to slow back down. “Tonight. I know, it’s fast. I don’t know why I told the girl I’d start right away, I just.... Said yes.”

“Was she hot? Is that why?” Kaito laughed.

A faint blush touched Shuuichi’s cheeks. “I-I don’t know. She was kinda... formal. I saw the schedule though and I think her shifts are colored red and it seemed like she works during the day so I don’t think I’ll see her much.”

Kaito had yet to stop laughing. “You memorized her schedule already? Maybe it’s good that you have to work alone as a driver. Why did you pick up night shifts anyway? It’s going to be dark and you’re going to have to deal with all the sleazy people.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Shuuichi admitted. “I just took the late shifts so I could avoid traffic during the day. It’s not going to be that hard, right? Driving at night?”

“Uh... It’ll be interesting. I only ever did it a few times. Do you want dinner?”

The overthinking came back full force and Shuuichi only partially registered the food Kaito prepared, anxiously waiting until he needed to walk back over to the taxi agency.

As expected, Maki wasn’t there, but instead a different staff met him and handed him the keys to a car and gave him an area to drive around. 

The traffic was much kinder at night and Shuuichi was more than happy to cruise dark roads, scanning the sidewalks for anyone waving for a ride.

As the sun finished its descent below the horizon, Shuuichi’s clientele shifted slightly from respectable people returning from dinner to the more sleazy people that Kaito had referred to.

A couple tumbled into the back seat, barely managing to get the address communicated to Shuuichi past their interlocked mouths. Though if anything, Shuuichi was glad these people were occupied with each other instead of watching him make a few wrong turns and nearly have a few more heart attacks as he wove through traffic.

Around 10, Shuuichi delivered his first prostitute, paired with a man with a smug grin who didn’t tip well at all when he followed the girl out of the car onto the sidewalk in front of a luxurious hotel.

Several more questionable customers followed that, all of whom had outfits that kept Shuuichi’s eyes planted on the road and his GPS the whole time, barely looking up even to take payment. Putting up with this was probably still better than the daytime traffic though Shuuichi anticipated the teasing he’d get from Kaito about his experiences tonight. Hopefully, this arrangement wouldn’t last for long.

Frantic waving from the sidewalk near a sports bar caught Shuuichi’s attention and he pulled over.

Three girls scrambled into the backseat, chattering in high pitched voices. Two were taller and blonde while one was a short redhead. It was clear to see by the way they were dressed that they were all hookers. What piqued Shuuichi’s interest was that they were together and without clients, something Shuuichi hadn’t seen before that night, though he didn’t know enough about the sex business to know if that was abnormal or not.

“Um, where are you interested in going?” Shuuichi glanced in the rearview mirror, trying not to catch a glimpse of anything he didn’t want to see.

One of the blonde girls leaned forward. Focusing on her face in the mirror instead of her revealing outfit, Shuuichi had to admit she was pretty. Her features didn’t suggest someone in this business. She held far too much traditional beauty to be a hooker, but Shuuichi supposed not everyone had friends to offer them a spare bedroom and a free ride into a job. There was little time now to dwell on that, with the girl now close enough to look at him directly instead of through the mirror. Her delicate eyebrows were turned up with concern. “Not far, just away from here. There was someone bothering us and he seemed really fishy and he wouldn’t leave us alone even after we told him no so we need to just get somewhere where he can’t scare us. Thank you for picking us up.”

The other blonde in the backseat looked more like the type to be found on the streets. “That fucking skeevy-ass perv didn’t scare  _ me _ . I just wouldn’t trust anyone who would go after Himiko when there are far superior girls right there with her. That’s how I knew he was a creep.”

The redhead, Himiko apparently, was quietly looking at the floor and Shuuichi felt a little bad for the girls. He imagined creepy people weren’t uncommon for them to encounter and they were fairly vulnerable looking (though the bad-mouthed girl looked like she could be convinced to take off one of her impossibly high heeled shoes and stab someone with it).

“No problem,” Shuuichi said, pulling away and subconsciously checking his mirrors and the surrounding sidewalks for the fabled sketchy character. “Did you three get a good look at him? So I can keep an eye out for him, you know. I’m not sure how much good I’d be, but maybe I can report him if I see him or if I were to pick him up with a girl, I could warn her somehow.”

The prettier blonde girl leaned forward again, smiling with a bit more confidence. “That would be great. We only encountered him for a few seconds and he had a hood pulled over his head and I think... well, Miu and Himiko don’t agree with me so I was probably just imagining things, but I could’ve sworn he was wearing a mask of some sort to hide his face. Other than that, he was dressed in black and white, which was also weird since you don’t see a lot of creepy people wearing white in the middle of the night but that’s what tipped me off that he might not be someone to trust.”

“Why do you think he was wearing a mask?” Shuuichi asked, driving a bit aimlessly as he mulled over the girls’ situation in his head.

“Like I said, I only saw him for a moment. But something glinted in the light and it was red and his face was too dark to see so that’s why I figure he was wearing a mask.”

“You’re very observant,” Shuuichi commented, then blushed and looked away from her. “Ah— um... I’ll keep an eye out for anyone who matches that description. Thank you for telling me all of that so I can keep watch.”

She smiled and stayed leaning forward to talk to him. “Are you new to this shift? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before around here. You’re not one of the usual cabbies.”

Shuuichi focused on the road again, realizing he was still on the job. He wasn’t headed anywhere in particular, but he remembered driving through a safer-looking part of downtown and headed there. “Um, yeah. I’m new to town. This is my first night on the streets.

Miu laughed loudly. “ _ On the streets _ , says the total virgin. Kid, this isn’t  _ the streets _ . You got it cushy in here with the A/C and the radio and all that shit. Come spend a night really on the streets and you’ll have a whole different kind of fun.”

Himiko sighed. “If you’re  _ you _ , it’s fun. Work is work though. I think it’s a pain.”

Arriving at a quiet section of sidewalk, Shuuichi let the girls out. Miu and Himiko rushed out as quickly as they had gotten in, while the third girl stayed behind. Tucked into the waistband of a skirt that was far too short to be decent, she pulled out a wad of cash. “How much do I owe you?”

Shuuichi glanced at the mile counter on his dash, rather high because of the aimless driving he’d done. Instead of calculating how much the trip would cost, he cleared the counter, turning to smile at the girl. “No charge. I hope you ladies have a safe rest of your night. Let me know if you see anything else suspicious or if you need help.”

She smiled cheekily. “Let you know using what? Telepathy? You got a phone number, hero boy?”

Though he’d kept his composure for most of the ride, Shuuichi knew his face was bright red now. “R-right...” In the console were several business cards for the taxi company. He extracted one and wrote his cell number on the back, handing it to her. “Can I... ask for yours if it’s not too much trouble?”

The girl took the card gratefully and slipped her own phone out. “Let me text you real quick, I—” she looked up. “Don’t think I mean anything serious by this. I don’t owe you any favors or anything.”

“Definitely not,” Shuuichi reassured. “I don’t care that you—” He felt his phone vibrate and took it from his pocket to read the text from an unassigned number. The text read “Kaede” and nothing else. It was a pretty name, befitting of a pretty girl. Shuuichi turned to thank Kaede and say goodbye but he looked up to the back door shutting and the three girls walking away.


	2. The Good, The Bad, And The Confusing

The weird first night didn’t end there either. Not long after Kaede and her friends, Shuuichi was perusing the same stretch of street by the bar he’d been to the previous night when he was flagged down again, this time by a guy and two girls, dressed in grease-stained black button-up shirts with the logo of the bar printed on the left sleeve. Shuuichi glanced out the window and saw the neon sign was turned off. It was after midnight and the bar must have just closed for the night.

“Where to?” Shuuichi looked at his passengers in the rearview.

Evidently, the cabbies were well known around here and he was easily identifiable as new.

The girl seated in the middle had shocking white hair and blue eyes that stood out against her dark skin. She leaned forward so she was practically resting on the console. “Oh! I’ve never met you before! I’m Angie! This is Kirumi and Rantarou. Are you new in town?”

Shuuichi had been missing the small-town feeling he was used to where everyone knew everyone else, but it appeared it wasn’t entirely absent here in the heart of a big city. He supposed everywhere had its regulars. He nodded and pulled away from the curb. “First day on the job. You guys work at the sports bar?”

Angie nodded vivaciously. “We do! You should come by sometime when you’re not busy! Anyway, we’re headed home which is at three different places so you go to Kirumi’s condo first, then my apartment, then Rantarou’s and you bill Rantarou for the fare and then Kirumi and I pay him back later.”

Though the other two passengers in the back seat were quiet, Shuuichi found himself liking this troop of bar staff. It seemed this was their usual routine for getting home so he hoped he might be able to see them again sometime on his rounds. He followed the directions in his GPS according to the addresses his clients gave him further on the outskirts of town, laughing along as they started exchanging stories of interesting customers.

After dropping Kirumi off at her place, Angie was still talking through bubbly laughter, interrupting one of her own stories with another as it came back into her head. “Oh! I seated a group of people who insisted on being as far away from a window as possible! And it was so weird!”

Rantarou chuckled and shook his head. “Why is that? Usually people ask for window seats intentionally.”

“I know, right! They said it was because some spooooky person was outside lurking in the alleyway and they didn’t want him to be able to see them inside!”

“That’s how you know who isn’t from the city. Natives don’t think twice about people like that, they just ignore ‘em.”

Shuuichi’s good mood fluttered a bit. Were shady people such a norm around here? How many creeps could lurk around the same bar in one night? The GPS on his phone beeped as he pulled up to the front of Angie’s apartment complex and she got out, bidding him and Rantarou a loud good-night.

Now, with only Rantarou in the car, it was a much quieter drive, bordering on awkward, though Rantarou didn’t look put-off. Though he questioned his decision to bring it up, Shuuichi cleared his throat and asked the question on his mind. “Rantarou, if I may ask, do a lot of sketchy people hang around your place? Not that I think your bar is sketchy, but...”

Rantarou didn’t seem to take it offensively. “There’s a creep for every corner in the city,” he said. “Most of them are just homeless or drug addicts, hoping for a few bucks from pedestrians who see them. If they try to talk to you, just drive away. You don’t need to worry about them, but don’t go looking for trouble. The big city is nothing like the small town you’re from, is it.”

Shuuichi looked up at once. He’d never mentioned coming from a small town, but the glimmer in Rantarou’s eye said that he was pretty easy to profile as unfamiliar with a city setting. “It’s true,” Shuuichi said. “I picked up some girls close by who said they were being bothered by some creep. I suppose there’s no way to know if it was the same creep though, huh.”

“Oh, if he’s a regular, you catch him creeping again, don’t you worry. But like I said, if someone strikes you as odd, just tell them to back off and you’ll be fine.”

The reassurances meant a lot to Shuuichi and he felt marginally more confident as he stopped in front of Rantarou’s complex, accepted his payment and bade the man good night as well.

Most of the night’s activity had subsided and Shuuichi drove around a bit aimlessly for a while before he decided to pull over and take a break from the hectic streets and constant vigilance for customers. He was glad he’d managed to sleep most of the day or he would surely be feeling tired. Even with the extra rest, he was starting to feel a bit of exhaustion set in. If every night was like this, he’d have to build up some more social stamina, surrounded by people, most of whom didn’t give him a second glance but some who talked to him and shared stories and exchanged phone numbers. Was it weird to have the phone number of a prostitute? Shuuichi wasn’t sure but it was certainly not something he expected to happen to him, especially not one who was so pretty and friendly. Before he was even aware of what he was doing, Shuuichi had pulled his phone out and had started texting Kaede, letting her know that the workers of the sports bar had potentially seen her creep as well, but that hopefully Kaede and her friends had stayed out of danger for the rest of the night. Shuuichi sent the text, then immediately regretted it. Kaede was probably  _ busy _ at the moment and certainly didn’t have time for uninformative texts from cab drivers with no social life.

Just as Shuuichi was getting into his muttered self-insults, the passenger door of his car swung open. Climbing inside was someone Shuuichi would describe as a  _ boy _ . Sporting a checker-print hoodie with fraying cuffs, he looked a little ragged with jeans torn in the knees and a longer hairstyle. He didn’t look like he could possibly be older than 16, but considering it was 3am and he was not shadowed by anyone resembling parents, Shuuichi figured he had to be older than that. Right?

The boy kicked his feet up on the dashboard as soon as the door was closed behind him and he looked at Shuuichi with mischief in his deep violet eyes. As he spoke, his tone was casual, like Shuuichi should’ve been expecting him to come out of nowhere and jump into the front seat of his car instead of the back and act like he owned the place. “Hey, newbie. I hear you’re hunting for creepsters, huh? That’s pretty ambitious for your first night on the job. Catch any yet?”

“N-no,” Shuuichi stammered, wondering if he should kick the kid out of his car, or how he would even go about doing that. “Who are you?”

“Well, you’re in luck! You have me now!” The strange boy laughed though Shuuichi couldn’t figure out what exactly was so funny. “I’m the best creepster around, according to some, y’know. The name’s Kokichi and I’m the leader of a crime syndicate made up of over 10,000 members!”

Whether or not the punk was telling the truth (though Shuuichi suspected he wasn’t), Kokichi probably shouldn’t be allowed to hang around in the car anymore. “You’re not the person I’m looking for in any case,” Shuuichi said. “You don’t match Kaede’s description at all of the guy following her.”

“Ohh~ you’re friends with Kaede now, are you?” Kokichi grinned, though he didn’t actually sound all that surprised. “I’m dangerous too, you know. Be careful who you let into your car at this time of night; the only people out this late are real bad characters.”

Shuuichi pointed at the passenger door. “Then get lost. I don’t have time to be messing around with people like you.”

Kokichi didn’t move. “Relax, I’m a paying customer. I might not be as hot as some of your other ones, but I’m just looking to get across town, same as anyone else.”

Clearly, Kokichi was not the same as anyone else and Shuuichi was more than a little wary to let him stay, but when Kokichi paid the advance fare and clearly had more money for the trip, Shuuichi sighed and pulled away from the curb and onto the now nearly deserted streets. “Fine. Where to?”

Instead of saying anything, Kokichi reached for Shuuichi’s phone, mounted on the dashboard, and threw a street address into the GPS. It was only a couple blocks away and Shuuichi felt a bit of rising frustration in his chest. He couldn’t tell if he was being played somehow by the boy next to him, gazing out the windshield with a carefree smile.

Kokichi’s destination wasn’t an apartment or an open-late bar or any of the usual stops Shuuichi made. Instead it was a used clothing store, the ‘Open’ sign very obviously unlit.

“Thanks!” Kokichi seemed to know on instinct how much the fare would be and he dropped the money into Shuuichi’s hand along with an average-sized tip before climbing out and waving goodbye with a bright smile.

As much as Shuuichi wanted to linger and see just where Kokichi was headed from here, he drove away, shaking his head at the bizarre encounter. If this was taxi driving, Shuuichi didn’t know how much more he could take in one night.

Thankfully, between then and 5am when his shift ended, Shuuichi only had a few more customers, all drunk but still notably more normal than Kokichi.

Exhausted, Shuuichi shut off his in-service light and drove back to the agency, parking it in the lot and heading back inside to turn in his keys, then walk back home.

To Shuuichi’s mild surprise, Kaito was there waiting for him when he stepped through the door, nursing a cup of coffee at the table. He smiled brightly at Shuuichi’s entrance.

“There you are! See, you didn’t die on the road after all! I knew you could do it!”

Shuuichi smiled weakly. “It’s not bad after dark. You were right though about meeting weird people.”

Kaito nodded knowingly. “Whatever they offer, don’t take it. Most people you meet late at night are bad news. I have to take off for work myself soon, but we can talk more when I get home. Do you work at night again?”

“Yeah. I didn’t mind being out at night so that’ll probably become the routine.”

“I’m glad it’s working out for you.” Kaito stood up from the table, downed the rest of his coffee and clapped Shuuichi on the back, giving him a genuine smile that made Shuuichi feel warm.

After Kaito left, Shuuichi considered staying up to watch the sun finish rising, but exhaustion from the busy night finally got its way and he retreated to his room, sprawling across the bed, asleep in seconds.

Shuuichi woke again to bright sunlight through the blinds and the warmth of afternoon in the apartment. He had plenty of time before work to do whatever he wanted and for the first time since moving in, he had a chance to breathe and search for contentment in this new life he was joining. The moment of peace was abruptly shattered when Shuuichi looked at his phone and found a text from Kaede and the memory of the awkward message he’d sent her flooded back. The response was a simple “thanks :)” but Shuuichi wished she wouldn’t have responded at all, in order to spare him the embarrassment of being protective toward a hooker he’d just met.

Regretting his life’s decisions a bit, Shuuichi waited until Kaito returned home, looking tired but just as upbeat as usual. The two spent the afternoon discussing Shuuichi’s first night on the job as well as Kaito’s new job as a paramedic which, in this city, was just as exciting.

The sun fell in the sky and Shuuichi headed off to work, returning just as it was beginning to rise again, talking briefly with Kaito, then changing places as he went to work and Shuuichi passed out. The routine had become comfortable within two weeks though being nocturnal made days off a little awkward for Shuuichi. He made it work though, spending most of his free time with Kaito, exploring the city.

With time, the job became routine as well and Shuuichi wasn’t constantly anxious to get behind the wheel of his company car and set out to brave the streets at night. Several more times, Shuuichi found himself driving past the sports bar at midnight to take Angie, Rantarou, and Kirumi home and he enjoyed listening to their stories of odd customers. As he got comfortable with them, Shuuichi started chiming in with his own tales of riders with no filter, ridiculous outfits, and obnoxious attitudes.

Once or twice, Shuuichi ran into Kokichi again as well, though always in different places and never when Shuuichi was expecting it. Though Shuuichi had tried to make conversation with the peculiar kid, he could never seem to get any information about the gang he was supposedly a leader of or what he actually did aside from wander the city streets all night, taking taxi rides to random destinations two blocks away, paying in full and always tipping.

To Shuuichi’s mild disappointment every morning when he clocked out, he hadn’t encountered Kaede or her friends again, though that might have been a good thing. Still, he thought about her often, especially when he picked up others of her same profession. Shuuichi often wondered how such a nice and pretty girl had gotten mixed up in trouble, but he supposed life wasn’t always merciful to kind souls. Every night he kept his eyes open for the mysterious creepster but had yet to hear anything from a customer or see anything on his own

Two and a half weeks after starting the job, Shuuichi wasn’t quite as exhausted when he returned home, but almost always still fell asleep right away. When he woke up in the early afternoon, Kaito was in the living room, enjoying a day off of work with a laptop perched on his legs and the news on the TV in the background.

Shuuichi yawned and bade his housemate good “morning” and brewed himself some coffee, glancing at the TV. What he saw almost made him drop the mug he was retrieving from the cupboard. Setting down the cup, Shuuichi ran toward the living room, snatching the remote and turning up the volume to hear more clearly as the broadcaster talked about the prostitute found dead downtown earlier in the morning. The body, not pictured, had evidently been graphic, torn apart and dumped in an alleyway. No one seemed to have witnessed anything though anyone who had was encouraged to come to the police that the criminal responsible could be apprehended. Shuuichi noted the location in the city he now knew quite well and observed that the dump spot was less than a mile from the local bar. It was likely dumb to worry so much about it when there was no evidence to connect it, but Shuuichi couldn’t help wonder about the creepster Kaede had been fleeing that one night, if he was at fault for these killings, and if he was still in the area.

Before he had time to consider the notion, Shuuichi had his phone out and had sent the text to Kaede, notifying her of what he’d just witnessed on the news and warning her to be careful.

She replied that she would, but Shuuichi wasn’t sure that was good enough for him. What if she had been one of the girls who turned up dead this morning. Shuuichi had been out driving all of last night and the killer in his city had struck without being seen by anyone. It was a wakeup call if nothing else that Shuuichi couldn’t possibly be aware of everything that happened in his zone. He had intentions to protect Kaede if she was in danger but to do so would require an insane amount of luck that he couldn’t rely on.

He texted back, requesting that she stay off the streets tonight. If she needed a place to stay, Shuuichi would be more than happy to let her hide at the apartment.

Kaede responded bluntly that she would be fine.

Shuuichi sighed, feeling a bit foolish again. Kaede’s business was not his to worry about and he couldn’t tell her what to do, even if the thought of her in danger made his blood pound through his ears.

When it was time to go to work, Shuuichi felt restless and walked quickly to pick up his car. It would be a long eight hours behind the wheel, wondering what was going on in his city beyond his watch.


	3. Use Your Blinker; Don't Give Mixed Signals

Just after 10, Shuuichi answered the call of a waving arm from the curb, pulling over, only to realize in horror that it was Kaede, blonde hair, skimpy clothes, and all.

This experience was vastly different from the first time Shuuichi had met Kaede. This night she was with a client and aside from a brief moment of locked eyes, she didn’t acknowledge him, absorbed in her own work.

Shuuichi followed the instructions of the man in the car to a nice hotel in the heart of the city and let the two out without being acknowledged again by either. For several minutes afterward, Shuuichi drove a bit distractedly. He had tried to keep his eyes on the road, but of course he had caught glimpses in the rearview mirror. The man had had his hands all over her and Shuuichi supposed that was to be expected, but he didn’t like it. He hadn’t liked being present but not really there, disregarded. With any other paid hookups he delivered, he didn’t care, when it was Kaede, he couldn’t help it.

For over two weeks, Shuuichi had been wondering if he would see her again, but he hadn’t wanted to see her like this, though he should probably get used to it and forget about whatever sense of entitlement he thought he had over her. He wasn’t anything more than a kind cab driver who had helped her out once in a tough spot and had proceeded to be annoying ever since. He wasn’t anything to her, but she didn’t ever leave his mind for long, especially since watching the news earlier.

A bit aimlessly, Shuuichi drove back to the place he’d picked Kaede up, scanning the sidewalk until he found a familiar face, then he pulled over, rolling down the window and shouting to get her attention. “Hey, Miu!”

The blonde whirled to look at him, a slow smile creeping onto her face as she approached the car and leaned against the passenger door in a provocative pose, gifting Shuuichi with an exclusive view of a lot of cleavage.

“Hey, there,” Miu said. “You busy working or looking to have a fun time tonight?”

“Cut it out, Miu.” Shuuichi felt his face grow warm. “Do you watch the news?”

Miu scoffed undaintily. “You fucking think I’m boring enough to sit around watching the  _ news _ all day? Here’s some fucking  _ news _ for you, I—”

“I don’t care what you do all day,” Shuuichi interrupted, figuring he didn’t want to hear about it anyway. “I was just going to tell you to be careful. A working girl was killed last night and her body was found dumped around here this morning. So keep your eyes open and spread the news so no one else has to die.”

Miu’s pout turned serious in an instant, her eyebrows screwed up in worry. “Really? U-um, okay. I’ll be careful. Thanks for letting me know...”

Shuuichi nodded, bidding her goodbye before pulling away into the night again. Fortunately it was a busy night which kept his mind off any of the worst-case-scenarios he would be whipping together if allowed to dwell on it.

Until the small hours of the morning, Shuuichi had a fairly steady stream of customers, but eventually the streets began clearing and he found a place to take a breather. A stupid, nagging thought wanted him to pull his phone out and check on Kaede but he angrily glared at his pocket and refused to give into the temptation.

Snapping him out of thoughts, a tapping sound on the window caught Shuuichi’s attention, though he couldn’t see anyone around him. His availability light was on so if it was a client, they should’ve just opened the back door and climbed inside. After a silent moment, more tapping echoed on the back window and Shuuichi twisted around to see nobody there, no silhouettes, no drunk clients, nothing besides the deserted 3am streets.

The next taps came from the backseat driver side door and Shuuichi twisted around in his seat to try and see. His heart started pounding and he considered locking all the doors or speeding away. Knowing there was a killer somewhere in the city did not inspire confidence. Several silent seconds passed and Shuuichi hadn’t heard anything else. Had his paranoia created a monster in his mind when there was nothing outside to fear?

When the front passenger door opened, Shuuichi jolted in his seat and almost screamed. But instead of a killer come to gut him like a fish, it was just Kokichi, sliding into the seat like a throne in his kingdom that was Shuuichi’s taxi, reclining the seat and kicking his feet up on the dashboard like usual. “Hey, Shuuichi! Nice night to prowl the city, dontcha think?” the apparent gangster snickered.

Shuuichi trusted that Kokichi had gotten a kick out of his reaction to his little prank and rolled his eyes, trying to look nonplussed. “Don’t joke around about that, Kokichi. People have died. Are you going somewhere or are you just here to bother me?”

“Jeeeeeeez, I can’t just have a chat with you while you’re not doing anything?” Kokichi whined, extracting some wadded up cash to prove he could pay his way.

Shuuichi sighed. “Where to?”

Kokichi shrugged. “Just drive. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

Skeptical, Shuuichi reset the mile counter so Kokichi knew he would be expected to pay for whatever excursion he was planning on taking.

“So, I take it you know about the murders around here too? Exciting, isn’t it?” Kokichi grinned wide. His seat was still almost fully reclined and Shuuichi had to look over his shoulder to catch his expressions.

“That’s not the word I’d use to describe it, but yeah, I heard about it on the news.” Shuuichi pulled away from the curb and started driving slowly, taking random turns and trying to gauge where to go without any input from his passenger.

“Do you ever worry? Y’know since you’re driving around all night? Like someone could just climb in your car and kill you if you’re not careful. There’s a lot of suspicious characters around— like me! You just let me into your car but I might very well be the killer and you foolishly decided to trust me! I could be armed right now and you wouldn’t know until I threatened you.” Kokichi, never having actually buckled the seatbelt, sat up from the nearly horizontal seat, perching backwards on the dashboard instead, ducking his head against the cab’s ceiling. He grinned. “But don’t worry, Shuuichi! I don’t have any weapons on me!”

“I didn’t figure you did.” Shuuichi wondered if he stopped or accelerated quickly if he could catch Kokichi off guard and send him flying. That would be unsafe driving though so he didn’t try.

Kokichi threw himself back into the seat and yanked the lever to pull the back upright again. “You could check, pat me down, make sure I have no chance to kill you.”

Shuuichi disregarded the sultry-voiced taunts, scanning the road and wondering where he was driving to without direction. “That’s okay, Kokichi. You’re going to be the death of me whether or not you’re armed.”

The sarcastic joke made Kokichi laugh out loud, though Shuuichi wasn’t sure if it was genuine either. He was confusing.

“Ever think about what you would actually do in that sort of situation?” Kokichi sat with his arms behind his head and looked out the front windshield at the dark city, apparently still content with their aimless journey. “How would you get away? Would you try to fight back?”

Shuuichi shrugged. “I don’t know what I possibly could do from here. I’m not armed either but I suppose I could try to call the police.”

Kokichi moved like lightning, making a gun with his fingers and pressing it against the side of Shuuichi’s head. “You can’t. Try anything fishy and your brains are going to be splattered on the inside of that window in less than a split second. Think, Shuuichi. What’s your play?”

“I guess I would... try to make a scene, even if it was problematic. I could veer into traffic and lay on the horn and even if I got shot, hopefully it would attract enough attention or cause a jam so the killer can’t get away without at least being seen.”

The finger gun was retracted from Shuuichi’s temple and Kokichi sat still for the first time since entering the car. “So you’d try to make yourself a martyr?” Kokichi nodded slowly, looking out the window.

Shuuichi glanced over at his passenger, sensing his mood drop inexplicably. “Do you have a better plan? You wander the streets all night for all I know, so what’s your plan if you encounter a killer?”

Instead of responding, Kokichi looked back with a beaming smile on his face. He knocked on the window. “You can pull over here, Shuuichi. Thanks for getting me where I needed to go!”

More than a little confused, Shuuichi did as he was asked, pulling over and calculating the total fee for the ride. Kokichi seemed to be a step ahead of him with the math though, and stuffed the appropriate amount of money, plus tip, into Shuuichi’s hands before quickly evacuating the car with another signature grin.

Rides with Kokichi always seemed to produce more questions than answers to said questions and Shuuichi drove away, shaking his head slowly. He couldn’t fathom the cryptic comments and even more mysterious and seemingly random destinations he requested. Tonight had been the longest trip so far and it was the only one that had come with no intended destination whatsoever. Shuuichi wondered if there was any significance to that. He wondered, not for the first time what Kokichi did and where he lived. The only places Shuuichi had ever taken him so far were to closed stores and random street corners. He had a feeling if he asked Kokichi where he lived, he’d either get a roundabout answer or a straight-up lie, so he didn’t think he would be bothering to ask anytime soon.

Cruising the deserted streets for a bit longer, Shuuichi pulled over again, taking a break. He swallowed down his pride and texted Kaede for what he decided would be the last time unless there was actually something urgent. He apologized for his behavior and for overstepping her boundaries, hoping she would accept his apology and they could go back to being friendly acquaintances.

The night ended quickly for Shuuichi and he returned the car and walked back home feeling mixed up. A lot of things felt unfinished like the minor conflict with Kaede, his questions about Kokichi, and of course, the knowledge that a killer was on the loose in the city and by all probability, could strike again.

When Shuuichi stepped inside the apartment, he found Kaito sipping coffee at the kitchen table like usual, reading something on his phone.

“Hey! How was the night?”

“Pretty typical.” Shuuichi shrugged. The weight of everything unsolved in his head was weighing him down and he just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately he lived with a man who accepted no bad attitudes past his doormat.

Kaito stood up, coming closer to look Shuuichi in the eye. “Is it because of that killer on the loose? You’re not in danger. The news said he was going after sex workers though they are calling it serial at this point now that the body count is up to three.”

“Three?” Shuuichi’s stomach dropped as Kaito showed a news site on his phone reporting the bodies of two women found just a couple hours ago. Shuuichi sighed and looked away. A serial killer in his city. It was hard to believe, but the atmosphere tasted like a brewing storm so Shuuichi wouldn’t waste time denying what was in front of him.

Kaito drained his coffee, stuck the mug in the sink and got ready to leave, stealing a high five from Shuuichi before heading out.

Shuuichi contemplated looking for more info on the most recent killing, but decided against it since he did want to get at least a little sleep and it wouldn’t happen if his head was full of theories and graphic images so he shut his phone off instead, pulled the curtains shut in his room and promptly passed out.

When Shuuichi awoke, Kaito had yet to return and the apartment was peaceful and quiet aside from the sounds of traffic outside that usually acted as Shuuichi’s alarm clock whether he wanted it or not.

Stretching out, Shuuichi picked his phone back up and went hunting for news— nearly dropping the device when he read the latest article. The newest victims fit the modus operandi of the first, bodies found torn open and mutilated, the sign of some psychopath having a mental break or embarking on a vendetta of some sort. What shocked Shuuichi was that the bodies had been found less than a block away from where he’d picked up Kokichi last night and the time of death was listed as being about 2am; Shuuichi had picked up Kokichi around 2:30.

Also on his phone, Shuuichi found a text reply from Kaede, forgiving him for being impolite. Shuuichi started typing back at once. “Sorry,” he stated, “I wasn’t going to bother you again, but do you know Kokichi? He mentioned your name. I have a hard time picturing him as dangerous but I drove him around last night and picked him up from the same place at the same time as last night’s victims. Do you think I should report him or try to catch him? Do you think he’s up to something?”

Kaede responded with curiosity and her own set of doubts that Kokichi would kill someone. Shuuichi wondered what kinds of interactions she had had with the peculiar boy who walked the streets at night. For a self-accredited creepster, he didn’t seem very threatening, but suspicious was definitely on the list of characteristics.

Since Kaede didn’t have any important clues, Shuuichi let her go, content to do his own thing until Kaito got home and he could ask the same question, though since Kaito didn’t know Kokichi, he couldn’t come up with any new insights either.

The evening was filled with nervous anticipation as Shuuichi got ready for work. Part of him wanted to see Kaede; part of him didn’t. Part of him wanted to talk to Kokichi; part of him didn’t. Part of him wanted the clock to hurry up so he could leave and throw himself back into scanning the streets for suspicious activity and theorizing solutions to this case; part of him wanted the clock to stop forever so he’d never have to leave the safety of home.

The beginning of his shift came soon enough and Shuuichi took to the roads, carting customers around the dark streets. It seemed like in the last two nights, business had increased. It didn’t look like there were any more pedestrians than usual, but more of them were hailing cabs instead of walking, probably on account of the killer.

Shuuichi dropped a group of young adults off near the local bar and his eye caught on a waving hand. But rather than someone hailing a cab, Shuuichi found it was a friendly wave of greeting and his pulse sped up. Kaede was walking toward him, a smile on her face, and Shuuichi had no idea what to do.

The pretty blonde hooker didn’t hesitate to climb into the front seat, though she left the door open like she wasn’t planning on staying long. In the distance, Shuuichi could see Miu and Himiko watching. Miu was yelling something to Kaede that Shuuichi was probably glad he couldn’t hear clearly.

“Hey,” Kaede said, smiling almost shyly but there was clear confidence behind the tilt of her head and the way she looked at him past her eyelashes.

Shuuichi was pretty sure he was blushing as he returned the greeting.

Kaede glanced over her shoulder to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed for at least a moment. “I wanted to apologize for last night. Sorry you had to see me with a client. It probably wasn’t the most comfortable situation.”

“Not much to be done about it,” Shuuichi said. “We both have to do our jobs. And it’s not like you and I are anything past casual acquaintances either, right?”

“I’d think friends would be an okay title too if you think it’s appropriate.” Kaede smiled. “You did rescue me from a mysterious stranger and drive me somewhere for free and I think you’re a cool guy. And Miu says you like me.”

Shuuichi was positive he was blushing now. Miu didn’t seem all that smart but she wasn’t exactly wrong. “Uh, okay. Friends then. And it’s okay. Don’t feel bad about it.”

Kaede was definitely an expert on getting people to like her anyway, but she was almost too good at it to be fair. She looked down and traced a perfect fingernail over the car’s shifter, deep in thought. “It was interesting what you asked me earlier about Kokichi. I guess you haven’t known him that long, but he has been acting a little strange lately. Maybe. It’s hard to tell what normal is with him.”

Shuuichi scoffed. Normal was the last word he’d use to describe Kokichi. “Does he pop up out of nowhere to bother you in the middle of the night too?”

Even Kaede’s laugh was perfect, Shuuichi realized, his chest tightening. She grinned at him. “He probably just invites himself into your car, doesn’t he. Yeah, I’ve known him for a while though I don’t know a single thing about him, honestly. I talked to him a few times randomly when I was out at night, then one time he hired me.”

“What?” Shuuichi couldn’t help interjecting. From what Shuuichi had seen of Kokichi, he couldn’t picture him getting with a hooker, ignoring the fact that he looked like a teenager.

“I know,” Kaede chuckled. “I was surprised too. He paid me up front for a full night, then took me to a hotel room and we watched movies and ate popcorn all night. And after that, it went back to normal. Some nights I see him and we chat for a few seconds and sometimes I don’t see him at all for a week.”

Shuuichi relaxed. That report fit his image of Kokichi much better. It made him wonder about his own run-ins with Kokichi and what significance they held. It was just a theory, but Shuuichi wondered if maybe, just maybe, Kokichi was lonelier than he let on and willing to pay a taxi fare for a conversation with him or rent Kaede for a full night just for someone to watch movies with. It contrasted so extremely with the confident, trickster aura that Kokichi put off that Shuuichi thought it might just be the truth behind his confusing actions.

“Do you think he’s the killer?” Kaede asked, snapping Shuuichi out of his thoughts.

“Not really,” Shuuichi admitted. “My gut says no , but logic says maybe. It certainly was suspicious to pick him up last night where the last bodies were found but I don’t think he was armed when he was in my car and he didn’t act like he had just killed someone. Given how brutal the murders have been, he would’ve had blood on his clothes for sure but he looked clean. I have a hard time picturing it, but it might just be because he seems so childish.”

Kaede nodded her agreement. “Maybe he knows something though. He knows a lot of things just from hanging around doing who-knows-what all the time. If you see him, ask him. Or tell him to come find me or something... If he’s not the killer, he’s certainly playing close to crime scenes and that usually doesn’t bode well.”

Shuuichi didn’t want to think of Kokichi getting too close to a killer and becoming collateral damage. “I’ll try to find him tonight. Thanks, Kaede.”

“You need to be careful too, you know.” Kaede smiled again before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “You don’t want to stumble into anything dangerous either. I’d never forgive myself if I let you get into trouble without warning you.”

Words were very difficult for Shuuichi to form for a minute but he managed to stammer “You too... careful,” before Kaede smiled one last time and left, shutting the car door loudly behind her.

Shuuichi felt just slightly dazed until his next customer came, leaving the bar to return home, tipping nicely.


	4. First On The Scene

The night seemed longer than usual and the hours crawled by even though there were plenty of clients. Shuuichi kept glancing at the clock on his dash, waiting until at least 1 to start keeping an eye out specifically for his strange frequent client.

By 3, Shuuichi felt exhausted from the apprehension and was about to find somewhere to pull over when something jumped into the road in front of him and he slammed on the brakes to keep from hitting the hooded figure. A half second later, the passenger door clicked open and Shuuichi was joined by a ball of energy in a fraying checker-print hoodie.

Kokichi grinned a full smile, eyes closed and teeth showing. “You were looking for me, weren’t you, Shuuichi! I found you first though! Didja miss me, Shuuichi? Were you waiting for me all night?”

Shuuichi would never admit how true that actually was. “I was wondering if you were going to turn up. How’s it going?”

Eyes blinking open, Kokichi cocked his head. “Someone’s feeling friendly tonight! I don’t need to go real far, just—”

“Kokichi, wait.” Shuuichi cut him off, then waited until he had Kokichi’s attention. “It’s late and you know I’m not really doing anything anyway. If you’re looking for someone to talk to, you can just sit and talk until I get a customer or you’re ready to leave. You don’t have to pay me to drive you two blocks just because you want someone to say hi to or—”

Before Shuuichi could even finish his statement, Kokichi had reached over and cranked the volume dial on the radio all the way up, dancing in his seat to whatever song happened to be on, and clicking through channels with an intense expression like there was nothing more important to him than finding a station he liked.

Shuuichi muted the radio altogether, looking Kokichi in the eye. “I’m serious, Kokichi. Don’t avoid me.”

For a silent split second, Kokichi’s face twisted into a more manic grin than Shuuichi was used to. Then he started laughing. “I told you, I’m in a gang. I’m not lonely. Use that brain of yours for something else because psychology is clearly not your forte. Now are you going to do your actual job or not?” Kokichi stuffed some cash at Shuuichi before diving for the phone mounted on the dashboard, inputting an address about five blocks away that Shuuichi recognized as an office building that was certainly closed at 3am.

There wasn’t much else to do than drive Kokichi where he wanted to go though Shuuichi wished he could find something to say so he didn’t feel so foolish. He reached for the shifter, glancing down and noticing a splash of bright red catch the dim interior light. “Ah—! Kokichi, is that blood?”

Kokichi jerked in his seat, shifting away, but Shuuichi had seen what he needed to see.

“Your knee is bleeding; are you okay? I have a small first aid kit in the trunk. It’s not much but I can help.”

“No, don’t bother!” Kokichi yelled, grabbing Shuuichi’s wrist as he started to unbuckle himself from the car. He was still smiling, but it definitely looked forced. “I’m fine! Just a little gang action, y’know? Come on, Shuuichi, I gotta get going or I’ll be late for the super important thing I’m going to.”

Shuuichi unbuckled anyway. “That’s okay, it won’t take more than a minute. Your knee looks pretty bad. Let me help.”

Without waiting for another response, Shuuichi flicked his cab’s availability light off and climbed out of the cab. He did have some supplies in the trunk that he would grab later, but first he took a few steps down the sidewalk, peering down the first alleyway he came to. It was empty, with no sign of crime. The next one further down was less empty.

The body was torn open, blood spilling on the ground and splashed on the wall. The victim was clearly a prostitute, judging by her clothes, and by the state of the crime scene, she hadn’t been dead long.

Holding back the urge to vomit, Shuuichi sprinted back to his car where his phone was still attached to the dashboard and a suspect was in his passenger seat, trying to flee the scene of the crime.

When Shuuichi threw his door open to get his phone, he found his car empty and no sign of Kokichi anywhere. Shuuichi swore. Whether or not Kokichi was the killer, he could’ve been a witness and Shuuichi would’ve rather kept him around. As it was, Kokichi was long gone and Shuuichi had nothing to do but dial the police and bring them to his location and show them the body he’d discovered, explaining everything he knew, including his suspicions of Kokichi.

One of the officers, a lady with long dark hair looked livid. “I swear on my best coffee mug at home that THIS IS THE LAST VICTIM! I will catch this degenerate if it’s the last thing I do! No more women are showing up dead on my watch even if I have to defend every single one of them at once with nothing but my fists!”

“Officer Chabashira,” Shuuichi sighed. After the last twenty minutes being stuck at the crime scene, he was beginning to tire of all the yelling. “Do you know if there’s any pattern in the victimology? Aside from their profession, of course. Did they all know each other or anything?”

With narrowed eyes, the officer looked up from her notepad. “You sure seem to know quite a bit about this. Are you sure you’re not some kind of expert? Maybe you have some of your own experience slaying helpless women?”

“Leave him alone, Tenko,” the other officer, who had introduced himself as Kiibo, sighed. “And no, we haven’t been able to identify any sort of pattern in who is targeted. It seems most likely they’re victims of opportunity, people out late alone who the killer attacked if he thought he could get away with it.”

“It’s unfortunate,” Shuuichi said, and he meant it, despite the dirty looks Tenko was still giving him. “Most of the time, this early in the morning, I get calls to pick girls up and take them home so they don’t have to walk alone in the middle of the night but I guess those who don’t get a cab are very vulnerable.

Tenko removed her officer’s cap and held it over her heart. “Last night’s victim was the type to usually get driven home, according to one of her friends who we met up with. I guess you only have to get unlucky once.”

Shuuichi couldn’t help his imagination spinning away on theories that might make just enough sense to be plausible. “I wonder if all the victims so far were working the night they were killed. Because the mistake might not have been how they got home, but rather who they were with that night.”

Kiibo looked intrigued with the theory. “Are you suggesting the killer may have been posing as a client?

Nodding, Shuuichi contemplated his proposal again in his head to make sure it added up. “Last night’s victim, did her friend see who hired her that night?”

Kiibo flipped back a few pages in his notepad. “She said he was wearing black and white. She never saw his face because he had a hood or a mask on and it was dark — that isn’t all that uncommon though if the client doesn’t want his identity open to anyone who might be watching.

Shuuichi’s heart skipped a beat. That was the exact description of the creepster that Kaede, Miu, and Himiko had encountered Shuuichi’s first night on the job. “I-is there any way to confirm that all the victims were for sure killed by the same person?”

Tenko motioned toward the newest crime scene. “If you’re not squeamish around dead bodies, there’s a signature here.”

Squeamish, Shuuichi was not, but the brutally torn apart body was still revolting. He approached slowly, looking where Tenko pointed to the brick wall of the building the victim was propped against. Written on the wall in what looked like paint was the word “Monokuma,” the first half of the word written in white and the second in red.

This killer was proud of what he did to these girls, signing his crimes like artwork. Shuuichi’s thoughts had devolved into chaos. It was the same guy. He had saved Kaede and her friends from this Monokuma two weeks before the first body showed up on the news. Maybe he had prevented the first killing just by being at the right place at the right time, just by chance encounter. Though it had been scary then, he was glad now that he had been there to make a friend and saved a life.

The officers had called their backup and would be getting the body to the coroner soon before the dawn lightened the skies. Shuuichi bade them both farewell, promising to continue to keep his eyes open for anything else out of the ordinary. As he returned to his car, he found his thoughts return to his escaped passenger. Shuuichi could be sure Kokichi wasn’t the killer, but was he associated with this “Monokuma” person? There had to be some reason for him to be hanging around crime scenes all the time, though Shuuichi still had a hard time placing blame on the lonely vagabond.

For the rest of the night, Shuuichi encountered few people, including a couple hookers who he told to be extra careful when they left his car. In the time between clients, Shuuichi paced the streets, looking for a checker-print hoodie absently while he thought. Monokuma was posing as a client looking for a prostitute, then getting into a cab and making that girl disappear forever. The use of the cab meant that there was a witness to every kidnapping, whether the driver knew it or not. It was more exposed, but Monokuma didn’t have a reason to fear the eyes of taxi drivers. Yet.

Fortunately, Shuuichi was in the perfect position to stand directly in Monokuma’s way of taking more girls. Five o’clock came with the rising sun and Shuuichi drove back to the taxi agency to drop off his car. Instead of hanging up his keys and immediately leaving like usual, he loitered inside the building, waiting for the next driver on duty on the schedule to show up.

At 5:30, the glass door swung open and Shuuichi recognized Maki, the woman he’d met his first day behind the desk. Not bothering with a formal greeting, Shuuichi ran to her, filling her in on all the details of what he’d seen and what he’d learned from talking to the pair of cops.

Maki listened intently, the straight expression on her face never shifting out of neutral. “Okay...” she said when he ran out of words. “Why are you telling me?”

“Because,” Shuuichi annunciated. “Monokuma is taking girls and using taxis to get around. Pass it on to every driver we have and every other agency in the city and soon we can have eyes in every taxi on the streets in the evenings and someone will be lucky enough to catch him.”

“That’s a stupid plan.” Maki turned away. “Are you trying to get everyone killed? We’re not the police; it’s not our job to protect prostitutes from serial killers. If that’s what you want to do, then by all means, risk your life. Or join the police force or something. But I’m not telling anyone to risk their lives over this.”

By all logic, what Maki said made sense to Shuuichi but something inside him crumbled regardless as she walked away, grabbing a set of keys from the back room and heading back out for her own shift behind the wheel. Shuuichi wanted to argue, but he got the sense from her that it wouldn’t do him any good to follow her out. Instead he waited a few minutes, gathering his wits, then left the building and headed home.

Awaiting him at the kitchen table as per usual, was Kaito, though he had already finished his morning coffee by the time Shuuichi let the door slam behind him. It was a day off for him, otherwise he would’ve already had to leave.

Kaito beamed at Shuuichi with his usual smile. “You’re home late. Long night?”

Shuuichi stood on the doormat, staring at his shoes until Kaito stood up from the table and approached him, concern overtaking his features as he placed one hand on Shuuichi’s shoulder and lifted his chin with the other.

When Shuuichi unwillingly met Kaito’s gaze, he felt his eyes well up with tears and he fell into the hug before he even realized he was falling. He stood there with Kaito for several minutes, and Kaito was kind enough to stay silent until Shuuichi stopped shaking.

“I saw a dead body,” Shuuichi whispered when he was ready.

Kaito recoiled, holding Shuuichi at arm’s length as Shuuichi recounted the events of the night, talking to Kaede, looking for Kokichi and finding him conveniently at the crime scene, calling the police, gathering all the clues, looking some more for the mischievous street kid, trying to convince Maki to be worried and tell all drivers to be on the lookout for Monokuma.

Sometime in the middle of the story, Kaito pulled Shuuichi back into a hug that Shuuichi was very grateful for. He didn’t know how much longer he would’ve stayed standing on his own otherwise.

Kaito’s voice when Shuuichi finished recounting was gentler than usual, but just as optimistic. “You have tonight off, don’t you? So you can chill out for a little while, right? Get some rest and we’ll deal with everything later, okay?”

Shuuichi nodded, trudging to his room, feeling cold across his back where Kaito’s hands had been. He laid down and stared at the ceiling. Time passed and Shuuichi thought he dozed on and off, but didn’t feel any more rested by the early afternoon when he decided he’d laid there for long enough.

As Shuuichi reentered the daylight that poured in through the windows. Kaito was nowhere to be seen, but Shuuichi thought he had heard the front door open and close at some point so he was probably enjoying his day off.

He was going to regret messing up his sleep schedule, but his head was too busy spinning for something like sleep. Instead he took out his phone and texted Kaede, the only person he knew who was just as knee-deep in all of this as he was, who might understand what he had been through. Instead, Shuuichi’s fingers hovered wordlessly over the keyboard. He didn’t know how to explain everything to her over text so instead he asked, “are you free to meet up somewhere?”

Kaede responded promptly that she was, followed by an “are you okay?”

The last question tightened in Shuuichi’s chest. He wasn’t sure yet if he could say “okay.” He told her to meet him at the local bar downtown, then grabbed a jacket and headed out.


	5. Reintroduction Done Right

Shuuichi arrived first and watched the door for Kaede to come in and when she did, he almost didn’t recognize her. It brought a blush to his cheeks when he considered that he’d never imagined her in anything other than her usual. Now she had her hair tied back in a messy ponytail and jeans and a pink sweatshirt made her look as casual as any other bar patron. Shuuichi couldn’t lie: he liked this look on Kaede much better. Getting his expression under control, Shuuichi stood up to greet her — pausing when he didn’t know what would be acceptable. They were “friends” apparently, but—

Kaede fixed the problem by taking hold of his hands, and looking up into his eyes. “Are you okay? You worried me when you wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Shuuichi said, leading her into the bar and letting a waiter show them to a seat. “I was nervous, I didn’t know how to say it. I saw...”

Kaede pushed a glass of water toward him and waited patiently until he got the story out, relaying everything that had happened since the last time they’d spoken, not even 24 hours earlier. Kaede sipped her own water, dropping her eyes to the table and running her perfectly shaped nails over the wood.

“Did you see what the girl looked like?” she asked. “I wonder if I knew her or saw her around or talked to her...”

Shuuichi swallowed hard. He thought he had it tough, but Kaede had the perspective of a potential target. She or someone she knew well could be the next to turn up dead and that was probably a very sobering position to be in. “I didn’t see the body very well. To be honest, I was trying not to look at her. It wasn’t a pretty sight. But, Kaede, my offer still stands if you want to take a few nights off and stay at my place if you need it. I-I know you can take care of yourself perfectly well, but I have to offer anyway. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.”

Kaede reached across the table, taking Shuuichi’s hands in hers again. Her eyes sparkled as she beamed at him. “And it’s really sweet of you. Believe me that you will be the first person I call if I need help. You’ve never let me down and that counts for a lot in my book.”

“Thank you,” Shuuichi exhaled. “As long as you consider it, I’m happy. I haven’t known you long, but I’m definitely planning on taking the time to know you better and I’m not going to let that get cut short.”

“You have the night off, right?” Kaede said. “I don’t have anywhere to be for a little while, but we could jump start that getting to know each other thing. Care for a drink?”

Shuuichi hesitated. He wasn’t a drinker and it was early in the day, but he didn’t see any harm in it. It could’ve been a friendly afternoon of chatting if a loud screech hadn’t interrupted the waitress recommending appetizers.

Angie raced over to the table, bubbling and waving. “Shuuichi!!! I was hoping you would come eat here sometime! And you brought a lady friend!”

Trying not to blush, Shuuichi smiled at his friend. “This is Kaede. She’s just a friend.”

Kaede cut in, slipping into conversation with Angie much more seamlessly and ordering them an appetizer and drinks. Angie took over their table, though she left them alone most of the time. She ushered Rantarou and Kirumi over while the appetizer was being made to say hello and Shuuichi felt a bit of pride introducing Kaede to his friends even though he’d only lived in the city for about three weeks. He questioned his status as “friends” with the wait staff, but they certainly seemed to have a different definition, all of them welcoming Shuuichi like they’d known him for years.

The afternoon went on longer than Shuuichi had anticipated with a few more drinks than he had planned as well. His earlier apprehension about the killer and about meeting Kaede in a casual environment disappeared and he found himself talking easily to Kaede about things he didn’t usually share.

“I don’t even know how long I’m going to live here,” he mentioned when Kaede complained about rising cost of living in the city. “I came to crash with a friend while I got back on my feet after, well...” Kaede hadn’t taken her eyes off his the whole time. “I... My parents wanted me to follow their career path and be a doctor.”

“So you ran away?” A small smirk touched Kaede’s lips. “That’s pretty ballsy. I didn’t take you for that kind of person.”

Shuuichi scoffed. “Can you picture me as a doctor? I don’t know, maybe you can. But I can’t. They said they’d pay for my college and everything but I dropped out after year three and came here—”

“Hold on, how old are you?” Kaede pointed accusingly with her drink.

“Twenty-one.” Shuuichi flashed his ID like he had to Angie when she took their drink orders. “How old are you?”

Kaede hesitated, then smiled, then laughed. “Twenty-one. I guess you just seem so mature. More than me anyway. You’re making the right life decisions—”

“I dropped out of school and have been ignoring every phone call from my parents for a month,” Shuuichi laughed. “They know I’m fine but they don’t know where I am and I’m okay with that.”

“What are you gonna do?” Kaede sipped her drink. “I mean, you could always just stay here and drive a taxi, but usually people don’t drop out of school unless they have bigger dreams.”

“Funnily enough, I’m getting some good experience from this,” Shuuichi sipped his own drink. “I want to be a police officer. My uncle works for a government agency here in town and I’ve been working up the courage to go to him and find out what it will take to get on the police force. I know there’s school and training and I’ll have to get used to seeing dead bodies, but it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. For right now, I’m taking a break so when I left medical school, I talked to Kaito, an old friend, and he let me stay with him and he got me the taxi job. It’s been less of a break though and more of an adventure, but I can’t say it hasn’t been fun too. Not that I’m happy about the murders or anything, but I can’t help getting interested since I’m already involved anyway.” Shuuichi’s wandering eyes met Kaede’s and stuck there. “H-how about you? I mean, I don’t want to pry into your life or anything, but...”

Kaede downed her drink. “It’s okay. I didn’t make the best choices and I ended up here the same way as anyone else in this profession. If I had played my cards a little differently, I wanted to be a pianist. Maybe someday.”

Shuuichi felt a burning sensation in his chest to help her. He wanted to see more of Kaede in sweatshirts than in the skimpy costume of a prostitute. He wanted her to live her dream even more than he wanted to live his own. He wanted her to be safe from the dangers of this life more than anything. Shuuichi reached across the table with alcohol-induced bravado he didn’t usually have, taking Kaede’s hands in his. “It’s going to happen. I’m going to help you get there and you can’t turn me down.”

Laughter spilled out of Kaede’s mouth and she squeezed Shuuichi’s hands. For a split second, Shuuichi was embarrassed, but then he was laughing too. 

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you become a cop too,” Kaede giggled. “I’m sorry, I should show you that I’m serious about that.”

Shuuichi chuckled. “It’s okay. I understand. Thank you, Kaede. I appreciate that. Let’s get you off the streets first, then I’ll figure out if I even want the same thing anymore or if driving taxis is where I belong.”

“Oh, don’t even start with that!” Kaede almost stood up and leaned across the table, jabbing a finger into Shuuichi’s chest. “You’re already practically doing detective work right now! Don’t tell me you belong in a taxi instead of a police car!”

“Okay, I’m sorry!” Shuuichi recoiled, but a moment later it was funny instead. “I’ll keep working on it.”

“Good.” Kaede sat down, satisfied.

The afternoon turned to the hazy gold of sunset and Shuuichi eventually relinquished the conversation, knowing that a day off for him didn’t mean he could drag Kaede away from her own work, as sad and scared as it made him to let her go when he felt more attached than ever to her.

“Can I walk you home or get you a cab or something?” Shuuichi asked, holding the door of the bar open for Kaede.”

She smiled and shook her head. “No need. I’m close by. I’ll see you later, Shuuichi. Have a good evening.”

“You too,” Shuuichi’s words stuck in his mouth. “Be careful. Call me if you need anything.”

Kaede leaned closer, dropping her voice. “Don’t worry about me.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Kaede shifted even closer and kissed Shuuichi. It was brief and light, but it left him staggering when she pulled away and started down the street, looking over her shoulder to wave at him.

Stunned, Shuuichi waved back, then watched her disappear around a corner. Finally, he was able to turn away and start walking back home with a whole lot on his mind.

As he pushed in the door, he found even more to think about. Shuuichi had never seen Maki outside of the taxi agency and for a split second he was surprised to see her in casual clothes. He was more surprised to see her tangled up with Kaito on the couch, paying no mind to the TV playing in the background.

Locking eyes with Shuuichi, Maki raced to sit up, attempting to look poised as she straightened her shirt and pretended she hadn’t been laying on Kaito’s chest.

Kaito whined and shifted his fingers through her long brown hair. “Maki, chill out. He doesn’t care. Right, Shuuichi?”

Shuuichi cleared his throat and stiffly moved toward his room. “No, I don’t care.” And he honestly didn’t. But he was a little curious.

“Hey, no running away,” Kaito gestured for Shuuichi to join him and Maki in the living room. He sat up on the couch and Maki hastily moved to sit so she wasn’t touching him, still looking perturbed that Shuuichi had caught them making out.

Shuuichi took the armchair and looked at the apparent couple. “I didn’t realize you two, uh, knew each other.”

Maki pouted. “I had to put up with him for years at the agency. I thought I finally got rid of him when he finished paramedic school and got a new job but you brought him back to my doorstep when you started working here.”

Kaito looked content as he stretched out on the couch, draping his legs over Maki’s lap. “Hey, who asked who out? I distinctly remember that being you, so don’t act like I’m the one bothering you.”

Shuuichi thought the bickering was kind of cute. The afternoon faded to evening and he chatted casually with both of them, warding off exhaustion after his poor night of sleep. Kaito and Maki certainly had different personalities and Shuuichi didn’t think he would’ve matched them together, but watching them interact, they seemed to balance each other out and he found himself enjoying their company. Night fell and Kaito started yawning so Maki excused herself from the apartment and left without making a scene.

“She’s great, isn’t she,” Kaito said, still watching the front door and smiling.

Laughing, Shuuichi stood up and forced Kaito to his feet as well to go to bed. “She is. I’m glad you two found each other.”

Kaito stood in the doorway of his bedroom. “Don’t worry, you’re always going to be my bro. I wanted her to come over today when you had the evening off so you could meet her for real and I could be sure you approved. Sorry you walked in on... that.”

Shuuichi chuckled and shook his head. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I hope Maki wasn’t too embarrassed. She was blushing pretty hard.”

Kaito laughed. “She’ll get over it. She asked about you, before you came home, if you were doing okay after last night. I know she seems cold but she does care, I promise. Where were you all afternoon anyway?”

“I, uh... went to lunch with Kaede. We just kinda talked and drank and it was a good time. I guess since we’re on the subject of love interests, she kissed me before she left and I didn’t mind at all. I’m going to get her out of here as soon as possible so she doesn’t have to live this kind of life.”

“I knew it,” Kaito chuckled. “I told Maki Roll the only person who was getting you out of the house was that girl. She said you didn’t seem like the type to try and date a hooker, but you’re too genuine to get caught up on her occupation.”

“She’s going to be a pianist,” Shuuichi sighed, staring at the far wall. “Which is why she needs to get off the streets, so she can get on with her life. Maybe she’s a prostitute right now, but it doesn’t mean she’s not a good person.”

“Dude, I get it!” Kaito laughed and clapped Shuuichi on the back. “You don’t have to justify anything to me. Love is love is love and I’ll do anything you need to help you get the girl.”

Shuuichi smiled. “Thanks, Kaito. Go get some rest. You have work in the morning.”

Kaito protested and made Shuuichi promise to get some sleep as well before finally retiring to his own room and leaving Shuuichi alone.

With his sleep already messed up from his earlier restlessness, Shuuichi didn’t want to make it any worse by sleeping now, so he looked around for something to occupy his mind. He only had to distract himself for a few minutes before another distraction presented itself with an urgent buzzing from his phone on the desk. Shuuichi picked up the call from Kaede in relative confusion as to why she would want to talk to him again so soon after spending all afternoon with him. She should’ve been working.

“Hello?”

“Shuuichi! I need help, please!”

In the background, Shuuichi thought he could hear more high pitched voices and none of them sounded happy. Shuuichi was already on his feet, blasting through the front door still stuffing his feet into his shoes and jamming his car keys into his pocket. “Where are you? Text me your location and I’ll be there soon. Do you need me to stay on the line?”

“No, that’s alright.” Kaede sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “Maybe... Okay, maybe keep the line open. You don’t need to talk or anything, and we’re fine, I just...”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m on my way.” Shuuichi started the car, realizing this was the first time he’d taken his personal car out since moving in with Kaito. He hadn’t had much need for it since most things in the city were within walking distance and he was still a little terrified of the daytime traffic, though it could hardly be more stressful than dealing with a killer at night.

Kaede’s location popped up in a text message and Shuuichi pulled into traffic with the ease of someone who drove all night for a living. He didn’t know what to say other than asking every minute if Kaede was okay which made the trip downtown seem longer, but it only took him a few minutes to get there.

Following the directions Kaede gave him, Shuuichi pulled over against the sidewalk next to a club where three girls huddled together against the exterior wall. It was a no parking zone, but Shuuichi flew out of the car, ignoring someone who honked, wanting to pull into the spot he’d taken.

Kaede, Miu, and Himiko stood up when they saw Shuuichi approach and Kaede threw her arms around him. Even in the dim light from the club, Shuuichi could see something dark staining her clothes. He gasped, holding her shoulders at arm’s length. “Are you okay?”

“I am.” Kaede nodded. “It’s not my blood... I... Can we go somewhere else?”

Shuuichi nodded and led all three girls back to his car. “Is my place okay for now? I can take you guys anywhere you need later.”

There were no arguments from any of the three passengers so Shuuichi pulled away and headed back toward the safety and comfort of home. Letting the three girls into the apartment, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do other than grab a glass of water from the kitchen for everyone and sit down at the table. It made for an odd sight, he supposed, three distraught prostitutes and him still dressed for a night off work in about the laziest clothing he owned.

Bachelor pad that the apartment was, the cabinets were well-stocked with easy snacks and Shuuichi offered a bag of potato chips. Miu stuffed her face right away, mumbling something about Shuuichi knowing how to treat a woman right.

Shuuichi sat down at the table across from Kaede, watching her study the glass of water in her hands. “So...” he started, “what happened?”

Himiko, already having drained her glass of water, spoke up first. “It was the same man as before, with the hood on. He’s probably been following us around and since he missed the first time, he had to come back to try again!”

“Yeah—” Miu cut in, “We got away from him before so he wanted to come back for us! I’ve seen enough crime dramas that happen just like this! When he saw Kaede by herself, he couldn’t miss that opportunity!”

Kaede was still silent. Shuuichi scrutinized her. The blood on her clothes, something small and black clutched in her hand. Shuuichi held out a hand to take the knife from her. “You led him to you, didn’t you.”

“No!” Miu argued. “Why the hell would she do that—”

“I did,” Kaede said, placing the bloodstained knife into Shuuichi’s hand. “I hung around the usual places he takes girls from, and didn’t meet up with Miu and Himiko tonight so I would be an easier target. I didn’t want to see any more victims on the news tomorrow, girls caught with their guard down around a killer. So I was going to try to make a move. And he found me and I cut him but then Miu and Himiko found me too and he ran away instead of fighting back. I got a better look at him. He was wearing a mask, like I thought earlier, though in the dark, it’s hard to see. I think one side of it was black and the other white and one eye has a red lens over it or something. I tried to get the mask off but that’s when he got away. I... I could’ve done more if I had the chance, if I hadn’t let him escape...”

“You did your best,” Shuuichi reassured her. “Where did you cut him? Because we can tell that to the police and that’ll be another identifying mark that’ll make it that much easier to find him. Most people notice big open wounds like that.”

Kaede brightened just a bit. “The hand. He tried to block my stab and I slashed through his hand. But it’s easy enough to hide your hands so maybe that won’t make it any easier to catch him. I did my best.”

“It’ll help,” Shuuichi promised. “We can call the police and tell them what happened. Did you all want to stay here for the night? Otherwise I can take you back home but—”

“Don’t think you’re getting any favors out of us just because we’re staying at your house!” Himiko pouted and pointed her finger accusingly at Shuuichi.

Miu laughed out loud, leaning across the table to get in Shuuichi’s face. “Oh he doesn’t want anything from us. His eyes are on Kaede. Unless you want to see what happens when we fit four people in one bed.

Shuuichi blushed, scooting his chair back from the table and standing up. “T-that’s alright. I’ll take the couch and you guys can share the bed or... anything you need really.”

Kaede laughed and stood up, patting Shuuichi’s shoulder as she walked around the table to stand behind him. “Don’t mind them. Come on, let’s call the police like you said. Maybe they’ll be able to track him down tonight if he hasn’t already hidden away somewhere.”

Miu and Himiko stood up and moved toward the open doorway of Shuuichi’s bedroom. One foot in the doorway, Miu turned around and smirked. “Sure you two lovebirds don’t want to claim the bed? We’ll sleep on couches so you guys aren’t disturbed.”

“Don’t make him take back the offer,” Himiko groaned, already inside the room. “I want the comfy bed...”

“You guys need to quiet down,” Kaede ordered. “Shuuichi’s housemate is sleeping and we need to be respectful.”

“Miu doesn’t know what that word means,” Himiko said, only to be pushed roughly to the side as Miu attempted poorly to defend herself.

“Don’t worry,” Shuuichi addressed Kaede’s indignant pout. “Kaito’s slept through a fire alarm before; I doubt he’ll notice even Miu’s yelling.”

Kaede sighed and moved toward the living room, sitting on the couch. “Miu’s yelling and a fire alarm bear an uncanny resemblance to each other so I hope you’re right.”

Shuuichi smiled. “Do you want the couch and I’ll take the armchair or I can set up some blankets on the floor in the bedroom and I’ll sleep out here.”

“Don’t stress out about it,” Kaede said, a hint of a smile on her lips. “We’re flexible with sleeping arrangements. Trust me, this’ll be the most restful sleep any of us have gotten in a while.

Shuuichi didn’t argue with that, instead picking his phone up and dialling the number for the local police station. He followed Kaede into the living room and sat down next to her when he’d explained to the officer the situation.

Kaede took the phone and started into her tale, explaining the details of where and when she’d encountered Monokuma. She started trembling a bit when it came time to tell about stabbing him in the hand right before he got away. Shuuichi reached out and held her hand and she leaned into him before handing the phone back over and resting her head on his shoulder.

Shuuichi finished talking with the police officer a few minutes later and sighed as he put the phone down. “They said they’d call back if they catch him or get any updates tonight.”

“Okay.” Kaede moved closer. “Thank you for doing this. Thanks for coming to rescue us.”

“Of course. You know I’d never leave you out there alone like that.” Shuuichi carefully put an arm around Kaede’s shoulders, rubbing away a bit of dried blood on her skin. “You’re not hurt at all, right?”

“Just this,” Kaede said, rubbing at some scratches on the palms of her hands, probably from falling at some point.

Shuuichi stood up from the couch and led her into the bathroom to clean up a bit. He watched her from the doorway, still thinking to himself. “But why did you try to do that? You could’ve been seriously hurt or even killed if Miu and Himiko hadn’t showed up.”

“Because I wanted to end this.” Kaede’s voice came out as a low whisper, but didn’t lack any of her usual conviction. She let the water pool in her hands, then splash into the bowl. “I don’t want any other girls to get hurt by him so I was going to catch him first. You’re doing everything you can to catch Monokuma even though it’s not your job to and I thought I could help.”

Shuuichi pulled her closer. “You did great, Kaede. He knows now that he can’t take whoever he wants. Monokuma is going to learn that people will fight back against him and that’s bad news for him. But I could’ve backed you up or the police could’ve. You didn’t have to try and do this on your own.”

Kaede took a deep breath. “I know. That was dumb of me, but I promise I won’t do something like that again. I trust you and I’ll come to you for help.”

“You know I’ll do anything for you,” Shuuichi said, and he meant it.

With forced happiness, Kaede smiled and stood up from the couch, pulling Shuuichi by the hands along with her and leading him to the bedroom.

Shuuichi paused outside the door and pulled back. “I’m sleeping out here. Go get some rest.

Kaede silently pushed the door open and yanked him inside. The lights were off, leaving only the dim glow of the city outside the window to light the room and highlight the silhouette of the bed with Miu and Himiko already curled up under the covers.

“Do you want to borrow some clothes so you don’t have to sleep in that?” Shuuichi pointed toward her bloodstained tank top.

“That’s okay,” Kaede whispered back, pushing gently on Shuuichi’s shoulders to guide him back toward the bed. Miu and Himiko were conveniently parted to either side of the mattress to leave just enough space when Kaede sat Shuuichi down on the edge, promptly seating herself on his lap.

“Kaede!” Shuuichi hissed, glad for the darkness to cover his blush. “Don’t try anything!”

“I won’t,” Kaede agreed, though she removed her dirty shirt and tossed it on the ground, then wrapped her arms around Shuuichi’s neck. “Stay in here with us though. We’ll feel safer that way. Believe me, after tonight, I don’t want you out of arm’s reach for a while.”

Kaede was still trembling slightly, Shuuichi realized as he put his arms around her and scooted back. Instantly, Miu and Himiko conformed to fit against either side of him.

With two girls clutching each of his arms and Kaede still straddling his hips, Shuuichi felt very overwhelmed, but didn’t fight it when Kaede leaned down and kissed him, much longer and deeper than when they’d separated at the sports bar earlier.

Shuuichi relaxed beneath her, though it took some conscious effort to be still when he was worried about pushing either Miu or Himiko off the sides and more concerned about Kaede settling down with her head on his collarbone and one hand draped over his chest. Still, the arrangement was warm and the excitement of the night soon proved itself as he drifted off.


	6. Progress For The Sake Of Not Looking Back

A vibrating sensation from his lower half woke Shuuichi up and he panicked for a moment, recalling the situation he’d found himself in. It only took a second to realize that the buzzing was his phone in his pocket while the three girls around him were peacefully sleeping.

Extracting his phone proved difficult, but Shuuichi managed it without making any of his bedmates stir. The text from Kaito read, “Shuuichi WHY do you have three prostitutes on top of you? EXPLAIN??” and Shuuichi’s panic came back. Fully conscious now, he was aware of just how compromising his position looked. Kaede, shirtless, was still cuddling his chest with one hand resting on his stomach under his shirt. Miu was shamelessly touching his inner thigh though whether she’d done that before or after falling asleep was unknown. Himiko had moved tighter against Shuuichi’s side, clutching his arm. In the darkness of the night, this hadn’t felt like such a bad move, but Shuuichi was reconsidering his choices now and attempted to wiggle himself out of the pile of girls.

Kaede stirred slightly as Shuuichi slid out from under her, but he kissed her forehead lightly and she fell back asleep as Shuuichi snuck out of the room.

The expression on Kaito’s face as he sat at the kitchen table drinking his usual coffee was a mix between confusion, concern, and amusement. He took a long sip of the black liquid. “Fun night?”

Shuuichi exhaled and dropped into the chair across from his housemate. “Believe it or not, that wasn’t what it looked like.” He launched into the tale of everything that had happened last night since Kaito had gone to bed and slept through quite a bit of excitement.

Kaito laughed at the end of the retelling, reaching across the table to punch Shuuichi’s shoulder. “What a player! I can’t even believe it; you’ve only lived here for like three weeks and already half the city is in love with you!”

“You’re not mad?” Shuuichi asked, just to be sure. The text had sounded vaguely threatening and Shuuichi wouldn’t have blamed Kaito for being upset to find his new housemate asleep with a bunch of hookers in a bed that wasn’t designed for four people.

“Mad? I’m impressed!” Kaito laughed again, downing the rest of his coffee and standing up. “Dude, you saved those girls; I’m not surprised they all want you. You’re trying to be a gentleman here, but I say you’re not going to get an opportunity like this every day.” When Shuuichi only put his head down on the table to hide his blush, Kaito laughed louder and tousled Shuuichi’s already-messed up hair. “I know you’re not like that. Just relax. I’m proud of you for helping them last night. That was very noble of you. I gotta go but let me know if you need me to come back and resuscitate you. I don’t know if your heart can stand up to three hot chicks like that.”

Shuuichi slapped Kaito away. “Just go to work and leave me alone.”

Kaito laughed but obliged, leaving Shuuichi to sit at the table with his heart pounding. He might need that resuscitation after all.

Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, the bedroom door clicked open again and Kaede stepped out, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Shuuichi?”

Shuuichi tried to get his blush under control. “Hey. Sorry if I woke you up.”

“S’okay,” she mumbled, the blinked and opened her eyes wide, looking around. She wrapped her arms around herself. “I-is your housemate still here? Sorry, I didn’t even think...”

“It’s fine,” Shuuichi promised, standing up from the table. “He’s gone, you’re fine. Let me grab something for you to wear.” Having Kaede shirtless next to him at night was one thing, but in the daylight, he could see everything the lack of clothing revealed. He pushed past her, back into the bedroom, glancing at Miu and Himiko who didn’t show any signs of stirring yet. Shuuichi paused in front of his closet, overthinking the decision of what to grab. Could it be considered making a move to give her one of his own shirts to wear? He didn’t want to pick her own bloodstained shirt off the floor to give back, but his clothing would probably be big on her slight frame. Would she care? Shuuichi shook his head to clear it and grabbed a dark blue sweatshirt, relieved when he stepped back out of the room and saw Kaede’s look of satisfaction. The gesture was welcome and he was glad not to be distracted anymore by the view.

The unforeseen consequence of course, was that Kaede was now wearing Shuuichi’s clothing which awakened a new weakness in his already pounding heart which only got worse the longer he stood and stared.

“Shuuichi?” Kaede asked, tilting her head in concern. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Just tired. Are you feeling alright this morning? How are your hands?”

Kaede held her scratched hands out so Shuuichi could take them in his own and see that the cuts weren’t bad at all. He looked up to her eyes locked on his and all the air in his lungs escaping him. Feeling bold, Shuuichi kissed the palm of Kaede’s hands. She shifted closer to steal his lips with her own.

Within seconds, Shuuichi found himself seated on the couch with Kaede backwards in his lap, kissing him hard. The short skirt she was still wearing was a little too short for his own comfort though even the thought of offering her more of his own clothing proved to be too powerful.

He was almost surprised by how forward Kaede was once she started. He supposed he shouldn’t have been expecting any less, given her current profession, but he found himself along for the ride and barely hanging on as Kaede pushed him onto his back and tugged his shirt off. The kissing became much sloppier and Shuuichi only heard himself gasp as if viewing himself from a distance.

All at once, the bliss was interrupted as the bedroom door fell open and Miu and Himiko both stumbled out, almost falling on top of each other.

“Cut it out, Himiko!” Miu screeched. “Look what you made me do!”

“That wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t spying on them!” Himiko argued back.

“I was just trying to see if they were fucking yet!”

“They _could’ve been_ if you hadn’t interrupted!”

“Me?” Miu shrank back. “It’s not my fault! I wasn’t even— I don’t even care if— I wasn’t spying on anyone!”

Kaede breathed a sigh and sat up, climbing off Shuuichi, a dark blush still coloring her cheeks.

Shuuichi was pretty sure his was worse as he snagged his shirt off the floor and attempted to stand up in a graceful manner despite his heart racing a hundred miles an hour over the speed limit and his brain just as useless.

There was no way to recover fully from that, but considering no one else seemed to be embarrassed, he could at least pretend it hadn’t happened as he made breakfast before driving the three girls home. He didn’t comment on their living conditions, but he couldn’t help wishing he could do something to help them out more. None of them deserved the situations they were in, living day by day and now always looking over their shoulder for a killer.

Once he returned home, Shuuichi fell asleep brainstorming any way he could think of to help them out, but short of stopping Monokuma’s crusade, he couldn’t think of anything in his power to do.

When 9pm rolled around again, Shuuichi found himself thankful for work to keep his mind from spiralling into a hundred different directions like it had been all afternoon. He conversed briefly with clients and kept quiet around the others that gave off the impression that they didn’t wish to be bothered. Shuuichi scanned the streets for waving hands and kept busy long into the night. Around midnight, Shuuichi met his friends from the local bar. It was hard to believe it had only been yesterday that he’d been sitting inside and introducing them to Kaede. They asked about her with much enthusiasm, Angie leaning between the front seats and poking Shuuichi’s cheek until he laughed and told them everything that had happened.

After he let out the three wait staff members, business quieted down again and Shuuichi continued his shift of driving around and waiting in common spots, then driving around some more.

However, less to do meant more time to sit alone with thoughts and Shuuichi quickly became restless. He’d kept in sporadic contact with Kaede all night and she was safe so all Shuuichi had to ponder were the theories and possibilities of an illusive killer who was seemingly untouchable and completely invisible until a body showed up the next morning.

Notably, nothing new had touched the news that day and Shuuichi assumed Monokuma had called it quits for the night after the botched attempt to kidnap Kaede. If only there was a way to ensure it again. Standing in the way of a serial killer could prove to be quite troublesome, Shuuichi was sure. Monokuma could very well target Kaede who had escaped him twice now or he could go quiet or he could move to a different hunting ground or he could go on a spree killing. There were as many good possibilities as bad possibilities and Shuuichi had no idea what the outcome could be at this point.

It was 3:30 am, the darkest part of the night. Shuuichi drove in silence, slowly on deserted roads. In familiar territory, he cruised past the sports bar and peered through the window into the nearest alleyways. A flash of movement caught Shuuichi’s eye and he pulled to the side of the road. Vaguely in the back of his mind, Shuuichi knew it was dangerous to get out of the car when the threat of Monokuma lurked everywhere. To step outside would be inviting danger almost as recklessly as Kaede had the night before, but Shuuichi felt the same compulsion she had, the need to do something even if it was dangerous.

Shuuichi was better equipped now and had brought along a 4-inch pocket knife and a heavy-duty flashlight, both of which he took with him into the dimly lit alley.

“Hello?” Shuuichi called out. In one hand, he waved the flashlight around, in the other, he held the knife and his phone with 911 already dialed. All he had to do was press the call button if he needed help. “If you’re there, I’m calling the police. You’re not going to get away with this forever so you can give up now and no one else needs to get hurt.”

Silence met Shuuichi from the dark alley. Behind dumpsters and piles of boxes and bags, Shuuichi’s flashlight uncovered nothing. Hardly daring to breath the whole time, Shuuichi emerged on the opposite side, staring up and down another street. If there had been someone in that alley with him, they were long gone now.

Shuuichi exhaled hard, dropping both hands to his side, then walked back through the alley to his car. He started the engine and drove away, feeling his heart still racing. Was this going to be his life now? Paranoia forcing him to look down every street he thought held movement. What were the chances Monokuma would allow himself to be caught by a taxi driver who saw him by chance? His chances of success were even slimmer than Kaede’s had been.

Dawn broke ground and Shuuichi turned in his car, barely managing to walk back to the apartment before collapsing. He exchanged a few quick words with Kaito, but most of them were interrupted by yawns so he retreated quickly into his bedroom for a sleep almost completely uninterrupted by even the traffic outside.

He woke to Kaito shaking him awake late in the afternoon. The tall man had a smirk on his face. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty. You want to enjoy at least a bit of the daylight before it goes away again?”

Shuuichi groaned and stretched. He could feel the gold sunlight on his eyelids and didn’t want to open them. “Thanks, Kaito. I’ll get up in a second.”

“Sure.” Kaito headed back toward the doorway. “Hey, it’s your turn to make or buy dinner. Is your girlfriend joining us tonight?”

Shuuichi’s eyes flew open. “What? And Kaede’s not my...” Shuuichi raced to the doorway after Kaito, leaning out the doorway and seeing her, standing by the entryway, already made-up for the night, but wearing a hoodie over something probably much more revealing.

“Hey,” Kaede said, smiling in an imitation of shyness, though it was backed by unwavering confidence. “Sorry for barging in. I can’t stay long, but I had to return something.”

“Oh, thanks, but—” Shuuichi was cut off as Kaede shoved a wad of fabric into his hands. He knew what it was and blushed. “Why do you have my—”

Kaede looked away, blushing as well. “Miu stole a pair of underwear out of your laundry basket to tease me with. But it was probably also to give me a reason to come back here since she knew I wouldn’t keep it. I-I promise I’m not the kind of person who would do that.”

Shuuichi sighed, ignoring Kaito’s raucous laughter from inside. “Thanks, Kaede. I appreciate you returning this to me and keeping Miu in check. Sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”

“I really can’t, I’m sorry.” Kaede smiled, swinging her hand to brush against Shuuichi’s like she wanted to hold it. She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. “I can be your girlfriend if you want. Only if that’s what you want.”

“Really?” Shuuichi felt his breath catch in his throat. “Officially? That’s okay with you?”

“I promise that’s okay with me.”

“Okay then... I promise that I’m getting you off the street.”

Kaede let out a small gasp. “Shuuichi... It’s not your job to save me.”

“I’m not going to try. I know you’re fully capable of taking care of yourself. I’m never underestimating a girl with a goal ever again.” Shuuichi smiled and brushed his thumb over the cut on her cheek, already looking better than the night before. “But I’m going to help in any way I can.”

A grim smile settled on Kaede’s face. “You’ve already helped me the best way you can. You gave me a goal.” With that, she leaned forward, kissing Shuuichi firmly, then turned and walked away down the hall, high heels clicking on the stairs as she descended down to the ground floor.

Shuuichi could only stand in the doorway for a minute, staring after her until Kaito called him back inside. “She’ll do it too... She’ll get herself off the street.” Shuuichi walked into the kitchen, feeling a little lighter than before.

“I don’t doubt it.” Kaito sat down at the kitchen table, smiling. “She seems like a great girl, Shuuichi. You found a diamond in the rough right there.”

“You think so?” Shuuichi hid his smile in the cupboard door, taking down a boxed pasta dish to make for dinner. “How are you and Maki doing these days?”

“Just fine. Just because you don’t wake up to her and her hot friends lying half naked on top of me doesn’t mean we’re anything less than you and your troop of gal pals.” Kaito shook his fist in a good-natured threat. “Shuuichi, do you remember... when you moved in and I said I might be looking to move into a nicer place? I think I found something and I still want you to come with if you want. Maki and I were planning on moving in together soon and the place I had in mind, it’s three bedrooms, the space is bigger than this, bit nicer. Kaede, I don’t know what her living situation is right now, but if you guys are looking to be closer together, she can absolutely come with. The rooms are bigger and you could invest in a king-size bed; you could probably fit like six girls in there with you if you squeezed together like you were the other night—”

“Shut up, Kaito.”

“I’m kidding, Shuuichi. Of course, you don’t have to keep moving around with me, but the offer is on the table.”

“I think that sounds great,” Shuuichi responded, pouring noodles into boiling water on the stovetop. “As long as you still want me around, I’d much rather stick with you than try to make it on my own. Where is this place?”

“Not far, actually. About twenty minutes drive on the other side of downtown. You might have to drive to the taxi agency and I know how much driving scares you.”

“I’m not afraid of the roads here anymore.” Shuuichi rolled his eyes at Kaito’s teasing laughter and wondered when he’d live that one down. “The branch of the police force my uncle works for is is close to there. That’s a coincidence, right?”

Kaito held up his hands in defense. “Of course it’s coincidence. Buuut, I had a couple on my list of places to check out and I did think about your uncle just a little bit when I picked this one. Mostly, I thought it would convince you to come with me.”

Shuuichi nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the stove. “Yeah, I’ll come with you. And I’ll talk to Kaede and see if she’s on board. I’ll cover her rent if she’ll let me. And I’ll talk to my uncle one of these days and see if he’ll take me in. I’ll work as a janitor there if he’ll let me until I get through school. I just want to be closer to the action.”

“Slow down there,” Kaito laughed. “This isn’t happening tomorrow. You’ve got at least a week or two of putting up with this dump before I secure that apartment for us. And I believe you’ve got enough on your plate right now to worry about. Don’t let this be another thing.”

“Right.” Shuuichi turned the stove off when the pasta was finished, getting out two plates and enjoying a peaceful dinner full of lighthearted conversation with Kaito, centered around stars and dreams and adventures like all the best Kaito conversations were.

With his head so full of possibilities, it was almost too much for him to walk out of the apartment for work and face the realities constantly threatening to cave in around him. There was still a killer loose in the city, his girlfriend— yes, girlfriend — had a target on her back, and Shuuichi had to keep it together and try his best to help the situation move along a little faster. The sooner Monokuma was behind bars, the easier life would be for everyone who stepped foot on the sidewalks and streets when the sun went down.

The evening was quiet. It was busy and full of people and conversation and jobs and ornery customers and other bad drivers, but still, quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and texts from Kaede confirmed that she was safe for the night with a client that wasn’t a hooded murderer.

The small hours of the morning were almost boring again and another issue resurfaced in Shuuichi’s mind as he rested during the slowest hours of the night. Since the incident with the dead body, Shuuichi had seen no sign of Kokichi anywhere. From his experience, it wasn’t unusual not to see the mysterious street-dweller every night, but Shuuichi figured after such an impactful meeting, Kokichi should’ve showed his face to ask how things had gone or at least make jokes about Shuuichi being a tad too paranoid as he now kept a can of pepper spray in his car now too, just in case.

The only theory Shuuichi could come up with in regards to Kokichi’s disappearance was that he was guilty in some small way. He probably wasn’t the killer, but he could very well be an accomplice. At the very least, he had been hanging around crime scenes with no intent to report what he might have witnessed. Shuuichi almost felt bad for letting him get away. If Kokichi was innocent, he didn’t have anything to be afraid of, but Shuuichi could imagine him being paranoid around cops anyway.

Still, it was dangerous for Kokichi to be out by himself all night every night and Shuuichi wished he would come tap on the windows to scare him again, or do _something_ to make his presence known.

When the shift was over, Shuuichi retired to the apartment after checking the news. Since Kaede’s failed abduction, no more murders had taken place in the city, or at least no more bodies had shown up. Shuuichi knew that was probably a good sign, but he couldn’t help the unease that accompanied it, like the calm would soon give way to storm.


	7. Straight Outta Hollywood

A week passed and no more bodies turned up in alleyways, though Shuuichi certainly looked down the most suspicious dark roads himself. Strangely, he almost wished the regular killings would start up again so it didn’t feel like every night was holding its breath.

Shuuichi kept in contact with Kaede, making sure she was okay every night, but there was nothing to protect her from. Monokuma had vanished off the face of the planet, or so it seemed. So then why did it still feel like he was just biding his time?

The warmth of the afternoon woke Shuuichi up after a peaceful sleep following a peaceful night. Out of pure habit, she checked his phone for any updated news on Monokuma, but there had yet to be any developments.

Tonight was a day off of work and Shuuichi had arranged to meet Kaede a little later at the bar for what he could officially call a date now.

The front door of the apartment slammed open; Shuuichi could hear it all the way from his room and he sat up in bed, a little groggy still from sleep, but curious about what Kaito was apparently riled up about. Shuuichi didn’t have to wait long before he found out when Kaito burst into his bedroom, a mile-wide smile on his face. “The apartment is ours dude!”

Shuuichi straightened, barely managing to lift his hand in time when Kaito came over for a high five. “That’s awesome, Kaito! I’m glad you got it.”

Kaito nodded proudly. “We’ll move next week.”

“I’m meeting Kaede for dinner; I’ll tell her the news.” Shuuichi found he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Kaito’s excitement was contagious and Shuuichi couldn’t wait to move into a nicer place as well, especially if that nicer place would make it more convenient for him to work for the city police force once he went through training.

With renewed excitement, Shuuichi got up, showered, and dressed for the day before heading downtown. Kaede was just inside the bar’s front doors and leapt to hug him when he entered.

“I have something exciting to tell you!” She dragged Shuuichi along as Rantarou showed them to a table.

Shuuichi smiled. “I have news for you as well. You can go first though. You look more excited.”

Kaede leaned across the table and poked Shuuichi’s nose. “I’m always more excited than you. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, unable to keep the smile off her face. “Starting tomorrow night, I have a new job!”

Shuuichi’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened so far that he thought they would pop out of his head. “K-Kaede are you serious? That’s amazing; you got that worked out so fast!”

“I know, right?” Kaede giggled, unable to help the giddy pride from bubbling out as she reached out again and took Shuuichi’s hands across the table. “Like I said, I just needed a reason to get myself off the street. I always knew I could do better than this but I never  _ wanted _ to do better than this until I met you. So thank you. Do you want to know what I’m doing?”

“Absolutely.” Shuuichi couldn’t even draw forth all the words he wanted to express. He squeezed Kaede’s hands and listened intently.

Kaede nodded to the small stage that usually lay unoccupied at the front of the bar. “Three nights a week they’re going to hire me to play piano here. Rantarou, Angie, and Kirumi got me set up with the manager and he said they used to have a lot more live music in here and he misses it. I... I might have to go out some nights when I’m not here so I can pay bills and stuff but it’s a step, right? And I’ll start looking for another, more consistent job too. It shouldn’t take me long before I’m a totally normal part of society. Isn’t that great?”

The first tears stung Shuuichi’s eyes before they fell but soon he barely noticed them, staring at Kaede through blurry vision. She looked shocked at first, but then laughed and stood up to sit in his lap for a while and calm him down while Rantarou brought them glasses of water and didn’t ask for drink orders, knowing that alcohol was probably a bad idea given that Shuuichi was already crying.

Kaede sipped her water and muched the appetizer that Rantarou silently brought to them as well, rubbing Shuuichi’s back, though he’d stopped crying after a few minutes. “Thank you for being happy for me,” she whispered. “It helps me feel like I’m making the right choices. You... You said you had news as well?”

“You are making the right choices,” Shuuichi assured, clearing his throat and recomposing himself. “Kaede, I know that you’re fully capable of getting yourself fully off the streets in no time at all and I know you’re determined to do it on your own, but I’d like you to ask you to let me help just a little bit more. I’m really proud of you. But I think I can help in a way that tonight could be your last night on the streets forever if you’re okay with letting me help. You can help out once you get steady work again too, but I was going to ask you to move in with me.”

Now it was Kaede’s turn to freeze and look at Shuuichi with big, wet eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Totally serious,” Shuuichi promised. “Kaito and I are moving across town, but it’s not too far away. It’ll be a bigger and nicer place and his girlfriend is moving in with him and he asked if you would join us too. I’ll drive you here when you need to work or whatever is most convenient for you, but please come with us. You don’t have to worry about rent until you get back on your feet. I make enough to take care of it and I think Kaito really likes you too and Maki is really sweet once you get to know her and I promise neither of them will judge you and—”

Kaede silenced Shuuichi with a kiss. “I’m definitely coming with you. Thank you.”

The rest of the date was a joyous affair and they celebrated all the new changes with more good food while their friends at the bar congratulated them after picking up on most of the story. Shuuichi couldn’t imagine anything better than this. This was how life was supposed to work out for good people like them. New opportunities were opening up and soon, they’d be able to put all the conflicts of the last month behind them. Shuuichi had never imagined his love life feeling like something out of a movie. Maybe to a casual observer, it wasn’t perfect, but it looked pretty close to that from his perspective.

Late in the afternoon, they managed to stand up from the table and walk out of the bar hand in hand. Separating was the hardest thing Shuuichi thought he had ever done before, waving to Kaede as she walked toward home and he headed in the opposite direction.

The walk from the bar to home was long and Shuuichi thought about waving down one of the many taxis that passed, but with all the thoughts in his head, he decided the walk would be good for him so he continued down familiar sidewalks, out of the heart of the city and toward the familiar apartment building he would soon be leaving behind. He found himself daydreaming, mostly about Kaede, and picturing everything their lives would hold from then on.

His thought process was interrupted by a long, blaring horn and the screeching of tires.

Shuuichi reacted on instinct, stumbling backward as the wheels of a yellow taxi careened over the curb, knocking over a street sign. Just as quick, the car behind it slammed into the read-end, unable to stop in time in the dense afternoon traffic. Both cars skidded to a stop and traffic diverted around them. 

The back passenger door of the taxi flew open and the figure of a person stumbled out. Shuuichi took one look at the black and white clothing and hood pulled low over the face before letting out a shout and taking off down the sidewalk after him.

“Monokuma!” Shuuichi yelled, gaining on the distinct-looking creepster.

The man running ahead of him turned to look over his shoulder, causing the sunlight to glint off something red in his eye, though Shuuichi couldn’t make out much with his face hidden in the shadow of the hood. Monokuma put on a burst of speed and skidding around a corner.

Shuuichi ran as fast as he could, but after rounding the same corner, he stumbled to a halt with no sign of Monokuma anywhere. If this were a movie, Shuuichi thought Monokuma would be hiding in some alcove in the alley so he jogged forward, looking into every shadow and potential hiding place, any fear he should’ve felt suppressed by adrenaline. There was no way Monokuma could’ve gotten all the way to the other end of the long side street before Shuuichi turned the corner so he had to have hidden somewhere along the way, but there was no sign of him here. After several minutes of looking, Shuuichi turned back, realizing that he’d managed to ignore the scene of a car crash.

Stepping back into the daylight, the wreck pulled off to the side of the road didn’t look severe, but Shuuichi’s heart skipped another beat when he saw the drivers arguing beside the wreckage.

“Maki!” Shuuichi yelled, running toward his coworker, examining the damage to the back end of the taxi she had been driving. As he approached, he noticed the blood running from Maki’s nose, most of it smeared now on the back of her hand as she wiped at it. Shuuichi joined the small scene of the accident, out of breath from all the running. “Are you okay?”

Though her expression didn’t look too different from usual, Shuuichi could tell Maki was shaken from the crash. She wiped more blood off her face and turned away. “I’m fine. Did... Did Monokuma get away?”

Shuuichi nodded. “Sorry. I thought I could catch up, but he just vanished.”

The other driver impatiently took down Maki’s phone number and insurance information, though the damage to his own car was minimal too.

Shuuichi stepped away to let Maki sort things out with the man and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing the familiar number and shifting impatiently as he listened to the dial tone for too long.

“Hello?”

“Kaede,” Shuuichi exhaled hard, relief washing through him. “Where are you? Are you working?”

The background noises of a busy street were proof enough of that. “I am. What’s up?”

“If you can, get of the street. Go somewhere safe and I’ll come pick you up as soon as I can. I just saw Monokuma. He hasn’t left town; he’s still here. And I’m worried that he’s going to come after you again. Are Miu and Himiko with you?”

Kaede’s voice barely wavered, but Shuuichi noticed anyway. “Um, I haven’t met up with them yet. I’ll go inside somewhere and wait for you. Are you sure it was him?”

“Positive. Hang tight and I’ll be over there soon. Bye.”

“Don’t rush. I’m in a cafe and I’ll make a scene if I see him. I’ll text you the address. Bye, Shuuichi.”

As soon as he hung up, Shuuichi wished he would’ve said something else. There was no reason for this to go sideways as long as Kaede stayed inside in view of other people where Monokuma wouldn’t dare approach her. But inexplicably, Shuuichi wished he would’ve ended the call by saying “I love you.”

Shuuichi shook off the paranoia and redirected his attention to Maki who was finished settling affairs with the other driver. He pulled away first and she looked solemnly at Shuuichi. 

“I’m sorry Monokuma got away. I...”

“It’s okay,” Shuuichi assured her, taking a look at the damage to the cab himself. The two cars had traded some paint and the rear bumper was dinged, but it was barely even noticeable. Shuuichi rounded the car to the driver’s side and slid in behind the wheel as Maki grudgingly got into the passenger seat. The car ran just fine when Shuuichi started it up. “Are you alright?”

Maki nodded, wiping her nose again, though the blood had stopped flowing. Either something out the window was very interesting to her or she was just embarrassed. “Yeah. You don’t have to drive me around or anything.”

“Too late.” Shuuichi injected his voice with a lighter tone and pulled into traffic. He didn’t often drive at this time of day, but he noted with some satisfaction that he was much better at late afternoon traffic than he would’ve expected just a month ago. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Shrugging, Maki looked straight out the front window, biting her thumbnail. “He was just a client I picked up. He kept his face hidden which made me a little suspicious, but plenty of people do that. Then I noticed the bandage around his hand from Kaede cutting him like you said and I saw the black and white clothing and I knew it had to be the same guy. I started asking him a couple questions, then he reached between the seats and grabbed my arm and tried to make me crash. Obviously, I braked and the guy behind hit us. I hit my head on the steering wheel and then he was running.”

Shuuichi nodded grimly. It was about as bad as it sounded. When Kaede had attacked Monokuma, he had gone into hiding for a week, and now he knew that his survivor had talked and had told people what he looked like. That could drive him to be more or less reckless and it was hard to predict how he would act.

Thankfully, Shuuichi had been halfway back to the apartment already so he drove the taxi into the lot and helped Maki out. She protested the entire time against leaning on Shuuichi but he stuck close to her side anyway, just in case the minor injury turned out to be more serious. If anyone would take good care of her though, it would be Maki’s own paramedic boyfriend.

“Kaito!” Shuuichi called as he unlocked the front door, bringing his housemate out of his bedroom and running to Maki’s aid.

“I’m fine,” Maki insisted, brushing Kaito’s hands off but allowing him to lead her into the apartment as she started retelling the story of the car crash again. “Just let me get cleaned up, then I’ll go take the cab back to the agency and figure out insurance stuff.”

“You should rest awhile,” Kaito insisted, sitting her down at the table and handing her a soaked washcloth to clean her face off. “You could have whiplash.”

Shuuichi shifted his weight from foot to foot by the front door. “I’ll take the car back after I go and get Kaede. Kaito, is it fine if she spends the night? I don’t want to take any more chances while Monokuma is still out there.”

The concern on Kaito’s face deepened and he nodded. “Yeah, go get her. Whatever you need to do to keep her safe, bro. Maki and I will call the police and see if they can’t find him while the trail is fresh.”

Though he was nervous, Shuuichi plucked his keys out of the basket on the counter and headed back out to his own car. Nothing was going to go wrong. He was going to pick Kaede up, drive her home, and wait out the storm until Monokuma was caught, and then everything could proceed as planned. Shuuichi turned down the row where his car was parked and slid in behind the wheel, reassuring himself that there was nothing that could stand in his way. For a moment, he allowed himself to close his eyes as he took deep breaths and repeated the same affirmations in hushed whispers. 

Shuuichi jumped sky high when the passenger door clicked open and he wasn’t alone anymore.


	8. Casualties To A Minimum

“K-Kokichi!” Shuuichi yelped at his new companion who had taken up his usual place of residence riding shotgun. The only difference of course, was that instead of just hooking a ride in a cab, the street kid had somehow managed to find Shuuichi’s residence and appear with his usual uncanny ability just at the right time to slide into Shuuichi’s personal car.

Whether Shuuichi wanted to back out of the parking space or not, Kokichi had left his door open, making it impossible to move the car. Picking at a fraying hole in his jeans, Kokichi looked about as nonchalant as usual. When he glanced up, his dark eyes sparkled with mischief. “Hey, Shuuichi. Fancy seeing you here. Where you headed?”

“How did you get here?” Shuuichi spluttered for a moment before he came to terms with the intruder. “I haven’t seen you for a week, Kokichi. I thought something happened.” It was almost unnoticeable, but Shuuichi spotted Kokichi’s hand inch closer to the open door beside him, prepared to escape at a moment’s notice. Shuuichi swallowed and lowered his voice. “I was afraid Monokuma got you or something.”

Kokichi perked up and flashed Shuuichi a wry smile. “You don’t think  _ I’m _ the culprit? Pretty suspicious how I always turned up near dead bodies, huh? Suspicious that you stopped seeing me the same time Monokuma stopped killing. You don’t know a single thing about me and yet you’ve decided to trust me? No offense, but that’s kinda dumb, don’t you think?”

“I know you’re not Monokuma,” Shuuichi said, watching Kokichi’s reactions carefully. “And I don’t think you’re working with him either. I know a scared kid when I see one.”

Raucous laughter filled the car and Kokichi kicked his feet up on the dashboard. He wiped an exaggerated tear from his eye, then turned on Shuuichi again. “Takes one to know one. Where’s your girlfriend, loverboy?”

Shuuichi’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t explain why he’d never felt the need to mistrust Kokichi before, but there was something sinister in his expression now. Of course, Shuuichi had wondered briefly if Kokichi was working with Monokuma, but it was clear now that Kokichi was on no one’s side but his own. “Do you... Do you know something, Kokichi? I told her to hide in a cafe until I come get her. I’m not taking any more chances until Monokuma is behind bars, but if you have something to say then spit it out.”

Kokichi shrugged, the picture of indifference. “You’re going against a serial killer who’s reeeally pissed at your bae right now for cutting him and getting away. If I told you I thought you had a 40% chance of getting her back, would you play the game? In this traffic, she’s twenty minutes away at least.”

Starting to get angry, Shuuichi started the car. “I’d play the game if there was a 1% chance of getting her back. But I have a feeling there’s something you’re trying to tell me considering there’s no reason you should know how long it’ll take me to get to her. I never told you where she is.”

Eyes widening, Kokichi faltered for less than a second before recovering. “I can tell you that she’s not at the same cafe now. It looks to me like she might just be on the run. Are you going to believe me, Shuuichi?”

Shuuichi paused. “You’re tracking her, aren’t you. And you’re tracking me too. That’s how you always know where to find me. So yes, I do believe you.”

“Clever,” Kokichi praised, holding up a card for Shuuichi to look at. “All I need is a phone number to do the trick.” It was a familiar card for his taxi agency. On the back was his name and cell phone number, the card he’d given to Kaede the first time they’d met. Beneath that in Kaede’s neat print was a note that read “Keep an eye on him for me <3”

That sealed the deal for Shuuichi. He might have his own doubts about Kokichi, but if Kaede trusted him, then Shuuichi could too, at least for now. And if Kokichi said Kaede was on the run from Monokuma, then Shuuichi would just have to follow his directions.

A flash of inspiration hit Shuuichi at once and he pulled the keys out of the ignition, scrambling to get out.

Kokichi stood up, looking perplexed.

Shuuichi reached into his pocket for the keys to Maki’s taxi, running back toward the yellow car. “Kokichi, come on!” Shuuichi wasn’t sure if the vagabond would actually trust in Shuuichi’s plan, but by the time he climbed into the taxi, Kokichi was right beside him again, slamming his door shut with finality as Shuuichi tore out of the parking lot and toward the last place he knew Kaede to be.

Before getting onto the worst roads, Shuuichi called Kaito, asking that he come too as backup. It might have been overkill since Kaede could be perfectly safe, but Shuuichi didn’t want to take any chances and having more wheels on the road and eyes on the prize was going to give them a better shot at succeeding.

Kaito said he would leave immediately with Maki, putting them less than five minutes behind Shuuichi’s pace towards Kaede’s current location. Hopefully, they would be close enough to help if needed.

Traffic posed a problem and Shuuichi drove much faster than he was comfortable with. He double checked to make sure his in-service light was off so no one would try to flag him down. The sun had finished its descent below the horizon and Shuuichi felt more in his element in the darkness. He glanced over at Kokichi who had rolled the window down and was resting against the frame, trying to look unconcerned, though Shuuichi knew better.

“I know you care,” Shuuichi said. “I know that scares you because it hurts when bad things happen to people you care about. But we’re going to get Kaede back and I won’t accept anything else, so trust me on this. Tell me where Kaede is now and we’ll get her back.”

Kokichi didn’t address Shuuichi’s remarks, but pulled from his pocket the nicest smartphone Shuuichi had ever laid eyes on. It was a shiny juxtaposition with the rest of Kokichi’s tattered appearance and Shuuichi wondered if the device had been acquired legally or not. “She’s a block over from where she was at first and still moving. If Monokuma’s behind her, you’re really on the clock here, Shuuichi.”

Shuuichi gritted his teeth against Kokichi’s comments and drove faster. His knuckles were turning white around the steering wheel until the ringing of his phone made him flinch.

First to move, Kokichi snatched the device out of the cupholder and accepted the call.

Kaede’s voice sounded shaky though it could’ve just been bad speakerphone quality. “Shuuichi, a-are you coming? I saw Monokuma and I think he’s following me. I’m trying to hide and stay in busy places. I lost sight of him, but I don’t think he’s given up.”

Shuuichi glared at the busy street as he wove between cars. He was less than ten minutes away. If she could just hold out until he got there... “Kaede, I’m close. I’m really close. I know exactly where you are so just hang tight if you can but run if you need to. I will find you so just give me a couple minutes to—”

“Shuuichi! He’s here!” Kaede’s voice had risen to a hushed screech. “Please come!”

And then there was nothing but dial tone. Shuuichi smacked the steering wheel for good measure as Kokichi dropped the phone back into the cupholder, looking at Shuuichi expectantly.

“Kaede’s good,” Shuuichi reassured himself as much as Kokichi. “She’ll stall for as much time as she can and we know Monokuma doesn’t have transportation of his own which is why he has to take taxis everywhere. Even if we arrive too late, we’ll get her.”

Kokichi hummed. “Your timing better be as good as advertised or this’ll be a disappointing trip.” He turned his attention back out the window, then down at his own phone. “Take a right here. She’s down this street a couple blocks.”

Shuuichi could feel his heart rate picking up as he turned.

“She’s stopped moving. Wonder what that could mean, hm?”

The unhelpful comments weren’t making Shuuichi’s focus any more effective, but he saw them anyway, a hooded figure holding a hand out to hail a cab while a minimally-dressed blonde stood next to him, her posture hunched in defeat. Shuuichi flicked on his in-service light and threw on his blinker to pull over. “Kokichi, get on the floor. Stay out of sight.”

Mercifully, Kokichi didn’t argue, but slid off of the seat to huddle on the floor. If he was looking for a game with low odds, Shuuichi could deliver. They needed to play this exactly right for it to work.

The back door opened and Monokuma himself slid into the cab, pulling Kaede in after him. Shuuichi kept his eyes focused ahead, not daring to meet Kaede’s eye in the rearview mirror, lest he give up the ruse. “Where are we headed?” he asked his “client.”

Monokuma passed forward a scrap of paper with an address on it for Shuuichi to follow. He noted how the criminal still kept his hood low and he had intentionally placed himself behind the driver’s seat so it would be harder for Shuuichi to get a good look at him. Unbeknownst to him, it meant Shuuichi had an easier time nodding subtly to Kaede as he pulled back away from the curb.

The biggest problem at hand was that Shuuichi’s rescue plan was hazy at best from here. He had Kaede and that was the most important part, but Monokuma certainly wouldn’t allow Shuuichi to drive him right to the police station or anything. In front of Shuuichi, a traffic light flicked to red and he sped through the intersection at the last second, earning him a honk or two but would’ve gotten him good ratings for speed had he been taxiing normal clients. And now, because of the light, the road behind Shuuichi was more or less clear, providing less risk for collateral damage.

Somewhere behind him, Kaito and Maki should’ve been close and Shuuichi drew a bit of inspiration from the day’s earlier events. The next item on the list involved finding something sturdy that wouldn’t give way easily when a car ran into it. The poor taxi had survived its first crash of the day, but Shuuichi didn’t think it would make it through the second.

A finger aggressively tapped Shuuichi’s shoulder from behind.

“I know,” Shuuichi said, forcing bravado into his voice. “Trust me, I know all the best shortcuts around here. Your conventional route is going to see more traffic. We’ll get there quicker this way.” They would be reaching their destination quite soon, in fact. Shuuichi spotted the perfect target, a thick traffic light pole on an otherwise empty street corner with no pedestrians in sight and still no one behind him to accidentally get hurt.

He would have to maneuver the car perfectly if he wanted to damage only the back driver side by running into the pole, but he was pretty sure at the very least he could limit the destruction to the driver side and keep casualties to a minimum.

“Kaede, Kokichi, put your seatbelts on, please.” Shuuichi kept his voice as calm as possible as he accelerated toward his target. Kokichi jumped back into his seat instantly and clicked the seatbelt home. Kaede responded just as quickly. Monokuma had realized something was wrong by now and was tapping on Shuuichi’s shoulder again in desperation.

Shuuichi would’ve expected his heart rate to be through the roof, but he felt calm and collected in the last instants before he swung the car around to slam into the light pole.

Darkness lasted only for a split second before Shuuichi’s eyes shot open and he gasped around a mouthful of blood, coughing sticky red into his hands. The glass window held a spiderweb of cracks, lined with more blood where his head had made impact during the crash, his head that was positively throbbing now, but probably could’ve been worse if it didn’t feel so fuzzy. Shuuichi’s chest felt like it was on fire, berated by the tight hold of the seatbelt and battered by the airbag that had exploded from the steering wheel on impact.

The sound of police sirens were music to Shuuichi’s ears as he reoriented himself painfully. From the passenger seat, Kokichi struggled to push away the deflating airbag on his side of the car, but he looked unharmed. Behind him, Kaede looked shaken and terrified, but she too was okay. Monokuma wouldn’t be making any speedy exits before the cops arrived, still limp and laying partway across the seat, not having been buckled in himself and taking most of the impact from the light pole still wedged into the door.

Kaede moved first, launching out of the ruined car and sprinting around to Shuuichi’s door to help him up, crying and hugging him too tightly for his bruised torso to enjoy.

“I’m okay,” he whispered, doing his best to hug her back and force a smile. Shuuichi glanced up at movement caught in the corner of his eye and he reached out to snatch Kokichi’s wrist before he could flee the car. “Stay, Kokichi. There’s no need to keep running. You helped take down a serial killer and save Kaede’s life. You could come with us, get off the streets, find somewhere safer. You’ve seen a lot, haven’t you.”

Kokichi hesitated for a moment, then pulled away from Shuuichi. “You know I can’t.”

Shuuichi wanted to reach out again, but decided to let him go. “The door’s always open if you need anything. You apparently know where to find me... no matter where I am. I trust I’ll see you around at odd hours of the morning when I least expect it?”

“Who am I going to bother when you become a cop?” A grin slid across Kokichi’s face.

“Probably still me,” Shuuichi scoffed. “I’ll do whatever I can to get back on a night shift. I’ll see you around.”

Without another word, Kokichi kicked his slightly twisted door open and was out of sight. A lot of questions remained to be answered about Kokichi and Shuuichi’s aching head didn’t want to consider what Kokichi’s disappearance had meant or why he seemed to tag so closely behind Monokuma and crime scenes only to help Shuuichi take Monokuma down. The answers were far from clear, but Shuuichi was just glad thing had turned out like they had.

The sirens were closer now, but pulling onto the scene first was a more familiar car that Shuuichi was glad to see. Maki stepped out of the hastily parked car first, going for Kaede to make sure she was okay and checking on Monokuma, still unconscious in the back seat. Kaito raced right toward Shuuichi’s side, his paramedic training taking over. Kaito reassured Shuuichi everything would be okay as he pulled out a knife to cut through the jammed seatbelt holding Shuuichi in the car. Though he felt shaky, Shuuichi was able to stand with Kaito’s support and he leaned in for a hug, switching roles to reassure Kaito that he was going to be okay.

Three police cars and two ambulances arrived on scene and Shuuichi found himself between Kaito and another paramedic as they discussed him. The world before Shuuichi’s eyes was starting to blur again, but he knew where he wanted to be.

Breaking away from Maki and the police officer talking to her, Kaede had the same idea as she rushed forward into a tight hug. Shuuichi wasn’t sure who was holding who up.

“You’re all worried about protecting me but maybe I need to worry about protecting you,” Kaede breathed, leaning in to kiss him.

Shuuichi couldn’t come up with an adequate response in time before Kaito and the other paramedic were back at his side, pulling him away and loading him into an ambulance. Out of the corner of his eye, Shuuichi saw Monokuma, conscious now, being extracted from the back seat, fighting against the police but clearly outmatched. His reign of terror in the city was over and Shuuichi could finally close his eyes and relax.

A week later, all the boxes had been unpacked, though for four people, there still hadn’t been a significant amount of belongings, most of them used to the minimalist lifestyle of city-dwellers with a constant need for more space.

Shuuichi had spent the week before the move alternating between the couch and his bed, letting the concussion heal, but by moving day, he felt solid again, minus the bruised ribs that meant his three housemates had to help him carry his boxes up the three flights of stairs to the new apartment. He made up for his temporary weakness by taking charge of making food and running errands Kaito realized he hadn’t needed more than two real plates when living alone and with Shuuichi or that the new place didn’t come with curtains installed.

The curtains were the most important investment for Shuuichi since they played a vital role in blocking out the light and noise of early mornings when Shuuichi still slept the best.

Within two weeks of moving in, a routine had been established like life hadn’t been tipped upside down for a brief period. Shuuichi, of course, had been fired from the taxi agency though only because the rules required it. The fact that he had taken down a serial killer in an act of martyrdom had softened the repercussions.

The loss of the job didn’t bother Shuuichi though as he’d started almost immediately working as a lowly desk clerk in the afternoons and evenings at the office of the state police force, less than three blocks from home, using his uncle’s role there as added credibility. Every night, Shuuichi came home and devoted himself to his studies, already set up on the fast track to becoming a police officer, especially after his stunt with Monokuma that hadn’t gone unnoticed by officers who had been unsuccessful with the case for weeks, including Tenko and Kiibo who bragged about seeing him in action before anyone else, hot on Monokuma’s tail at all times in his taxi.

Kaede worked closing shifts at a music store down the street and three nights a week, she went back to the familiar bar and played for a growing audience of fans who promised support of her growing career in performing.

Whenever he could, Shuuichi tagged along to listen, long into the night until the bar closed. They dropped Rantarou, Kirumi, and Angie off at their respective residences, then took deserted midnight streets back home where they spent the smaller hours of the morning on the small balcony off their bedroom. Shuuichi poured over police handbooks while Kaede practiced with an electronic keyboard across her lap.

Every now and then, they would be joined by a visitor who always arrived by way of fire escapes instead of through the front door and usually only stayed long enough to cause some trouble before taking off, though on rare occasions Shuuichi found him sticking around for longer, leaning against the fire escape ladder and looking at the stars as he absently picked at the fraying cuffs of his checker-print hoodie and pretended he didn’t enjoy sticking around.

The third small bedroom was occupied from time to time by Miu and Himiko as they also worked to support themselves through more legal means of employment though they were welcome to stay over whenever they needed since all members of the apartment knew how hard it was to fall down in life and how much easier it was to stand back up when supported by good friends.

In their own way, Kaito and Maki lived separate lives and it was difficult to find time for all residents of the house to hang out together since the two diurnal occupants of the apartment rose early for work and came home when the others were typically working. Aside from the days off they all coordinated to share, Shuuichi and Kaede made a point of staying up until sunrise to see Kaito and Maki off for the day before shutting out the noise and light of outside with heavy curtains and tumbling into bed for well-deserved rest.


End file.
